@@KarenMcCullough I'll check my dates. Thanks. One thought for your research. We, GenXers, are thought of as being kind of "quiet" politically and elsewise. I think that may have something to do with being raised by "Silent" Generation parents. Work hard, keep your mouth shut, appreciate what you do have, we're not the captain of this ship, we are loyal crew members, don't get uppity with authority....
Me too, however not as a kid, but as a sexually active teenager. I was born in 1967. I first started hearing about HIV and AIDS in 1985. I was 18. It scared us big time!
We were raised by Parents who smoked and drank non-stop and couldn't be bothered to guide or encourage us to be good human beings. We had to figure it all out for ourselves on the playgrounds, at the bus stops, in awkward moments in gym locker rooms and YMCA Swimming pools. We sat in mandatory silence (with severe penalties for breaking that silence) as we observed our parents getting utterly sloshed at "family" barbeques and other events. We walked off any and all pain, any expression of emotion or frustration was ridiculed and smashed, utterly. From our government, we were told that Russia might nuke us at a moment's notice, so "duck and cover" might save us. Our ability to relate to one another was taught to us, maybe by our older siblings (who were themselves often cruel), maybe by our friends, and certainly in part by schoolyard bullies. We learned as we went. *I vividly recall in about 1969-1970, being 4 or 5 and going trick or treating with my older brother, for what seemed like a several mile walk, in the SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO. My brother was 6 or 7, our parents couldn't be bothered to go with us. It is not surprising that our heroes were anti-establishment Rock Stars (We're not gonna take it!), and action heroes (Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Arnold, Sly, Bruce Willis) who all got a little collective payback from the bad guys on our behalf. Carry on Gen X! Carry On!
One of the biggest differences between Gen X and today for me, is my high school experience..CLASS OF 85! First, we had a smoking area at my school. We'd run out between classes for a few puffs and a quick conversation. We also really Loved passing notes between and during classes. It was an art form. We'd draw pictures and write jokes and get very creative. Another very big difference is the fact that, as a stoner, we would share doobies, and pipes, and bongs, without ever thinking about germs. We would invite complete strangers to get stoned with us, and we would share cigarettes with our friends. We would play QUARTERS...by bouncing a quarter into a glass of beer and picking someone to drink it. They would also catch the quarter in their mouth, and we would refill that beer and continue. It was life without fear. It may sound insane to some, but it created a closeness among us large groups that kids today will never know.
Nope. Not in my neighborhood. Some kids had older parents (usually a remarried dad), but generally our parents were in their twenties during the 1970s.
Yeah we were raised to take care of ourselves so do not appreciate people trying to dictate how we may live our lives now when we are middle aged since many of us were forced to mature early on. The millennials maybe want to be treated like children forever but I resent it. People talking to me as if they are my parents well they are not and my parents did not coddle me or speak down to me either.
I basically had parents who had businesses and were busy alot so basically i would did whatever i wanted , catch the bus to the city , go watch a movie , i saw jaws in 75 i was 10 and i saw it by myself and they wondered why i didnt like the beach anymore
I remember we always used a pillow case, but man did we fill them up! As soon as we get home, no one touches the candy until our mom's went through every last piece! Imagine how long we had to wait! There were 5 of us!!!
The only thing she's kind of wrong about is that most of our parents were the Silent Generation. Some of our parents were baby boomers but not a whole lot honestly.
Yep. I was born in 79 and I happened to have silent gen parents though most my age had boomer parents. But yes..I was on the end of gen x so you are correct.
I agree. I'm an older Gen Xer born 1967 and my parents were definitely Silent Gen. They're a bit selfish too though, so some Boomer influence for them as well.
I was gonna say the same thing, I was born in '76 and both my parents were Silent Gen. Also I know tons of Baby Boomers and almost all of their kids are "Millenials" (born 1980-1996).The only Baby Boomers with Gen X kids were the ones who had kids very young.
Yeah, I'm Gen X! I grew up as a latchkey kid in NYC. I'm not sure about other places but there was a PSA on TV that asks: "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?" And it was so creepy and scary that it made the kids who see that run to make sure that they were inside their homes well before that time, lol!
I actually think the death of optimus prime in the cartoon transformers movie from the 80's is very much how gen x was raised. The creators thought it was fine to kill the main characters in this 1st 10 minutes so they could sell more toys to us.
im a xennial, but i was raised the same way, i have gen x bro and sis, i had independence, i could go pretty much where ever i wanted, had to be home by the street light
I remember when you can go down to AGH Allegheny General Hospital and have your Halloween candy x-rayed and see if there are any pins and needles in it
‘78 Gen x here with Millenial siblings from early 80s. I don’t see THAT much difference in the generations when you’re like me and my sisters. I could just as well be Millenial, they can identify with many aspects of Gen x.
Being born in the earlier half of the X generation in 71 my mother was a boomer and my father was of the late part of the silent generation so i would at least expect a big part of the boomer generation to be parents to gen x:ers.
Im a gen x and remember that as clear as day the photographs of missing kids on milk cartons while i was eating my rice krispies at breakfast. I constantly had this fear of kidnappers as a child, but played outside till the street lamps came on.
I wish my Mom kicked me out of the house, I had to beg just to play in the front yard. I'm Gen-X but I had a very controlling Boomer mother (no, not protective, she was a straight up control freak, luckily she's mellowed out some in her senior years). I had to lie about visiting a particular friend in order to go farther away, I did that a lot, often rode my bike miles away, Mom had no idea, luckily she never checked on me. Interesting thing, my father was older, Silent Generation, he's the one that didn't give a damn. lol I don't think I'm all that weird though, except I never got married or had kids.
Gen Xers squad!!!! We made our way home before the streetlights were on and without GPS. We had chores. We either won or didn't. No participation trophy. We got spankings and or grounded when we acted a fool. Sometimes when we didn't but hung around the wrong people. We hate being micromanaged. Leave me be and let me do my job in peace. Especially remotely!
I get advice from GenZers and Boomers every week. It's like they are so smart and I've never done a gawd damned thing. lol Life advice from 21 y/olds? Bro please.
Who are all these weirdos claiming Gen-Xers came from silent generation?! Boomers started 1946, so you may have a silent gen parent if born 1966-69, but 1970-80 you most likely had Boomer parents! My wife born 66 very beginning of Gen-X, so her parents were pre boomer, but me 1970, Mom 46 Dad 49, so both Boomers! Strange how that worked out! My Mom was first year Boomer, and coincidentally I married a first year Gen-Xer, funny how that happened.
Even my grandmother would do that to us. She'd make egg salad sandwiches and sweet tealoaded up in a Kool-aid canteen and kick us out on 700 acres until dark. We'd forage apples and plums and blackberries when the sandwiches ran out, drink from the creek, then fish in the pond for bluegill and bring them in for dinner.
My mom did that in the Summer, would lock us out during the day, and we always found something to do. Usually it involved my brother teasing me all day. Proud Gen X
As a Gen X'er who had insanely overprotective parents, this stings. I wasn't allowed to go more than 30 feet from the porch because I'd surely become the first child to ever be abducted from our neighborhood. I'm not scared of every little thing, I thought my parents were paranoid.
I'm also A Gen-Xer who had a controlling mother, same experience. Though when I was a tween and she was working full time I was usually left home alone to watch my brother during the summer and after school, but still "chained" to the house because my bro would tell on me if I went anywhere (he was seven years younger). Through various machinations I did find ways to escape now and then but would catch hell if I got caught.
I'm a Feb. 1970 X-er and my parents are 1940 and 43 late Silents. Dads parents were Lost Gen. 1890 and 1896 and moms were Greatest Gen. 1914 and 1918. So I had different perspectives growing up.
I’m part of the 1976 Gen X variant. I’m glad I had around 8 years before my father introduced our family to our first computer (commador 64) and I had a chance to live the Gen X life before technology entered into the equation.
My dad was a boomer..my mom me generation..my parents were total opposites..my mom kicked us out all day..I had to babysit..my sisters were terrors..😂..
Being the youngest of FOURTEEN KIDS, yes, 14, one at a time, no twins, none adopted ( those were extra,,,lol ), my parents and older siblings used that " razor blades or needles" excuse, to plunder my Halloween plunder,,,lol
I grew up in the country. We didn't have street lights. We went a quarter mile to the next door neighbor's house to play with their kids. Or we went the other direction half a mile to our grandparents. But mostly the 3 of us just roamed our 16 acres. We still got up to some dangerous shit. I think that's why our kids got so much supervision. We knew what kids could get up to on their own. Our parents still don't know what the f we did.
I found a piece of metal in one of my Halloween candy bars. It was a 3 Musketeers. Just threw that one away and grabbed another. Checked it, no metal? Good to go.
Gen x is cool af, but I grew up the exact same as most of em and I’m a millennial. 96. So I feel like one . Aren’t much different at all tbh. Gen z is more of how she is explaining millennials
