Dear Generation Z

This?

This was not invented by you guys.

I know, I know – you don’t believe the world EXISTED before you, let alone that anyone living in it (such as your parent’s generations) ever did ANYTHING remotely scandalous or fun.

Now, the irony of someone like ME telling you this is not lost. I was (and still am sometimes) as straight laced and naive as you could be. There was a LOT OF STUFF going on at my high school that flew right over my innocent little head. I hear stories now about which teacher was sleeping with which student(s) and it curls my hair and makes me clutch my pearls in shock.

And yet.

Trust me when I say that the stuff you guys are writing in your year books is EXACTLY THE SAME as what we wrote in ours. We were rude and crude and dropped words our own parents didn’t think we knew in those things. You guys are not the first teens to do that. No sir.

Last year 15 refused to let me see his yearbook. Naturally I snuck in when he was gone and looked (hush). You know what I found? Nothing. I honestly saw nothing written in there that would be considered shocking. Whatever he was so embarrassed about was so tame that right now I could not tell you what it was for sure. (nor would I, if I could, but the point is – I have no clue!) A couple of months later I asked him about it again and offered to show him my year book from high school first. Just so he could see that he and his buddies are not doing anything NEW. It was like an epiphany to him!

And now it’s happened again. The other day he asked me “Mom, do you know what 420 means. You know, not the date but what it MEANS?” Uh, yeah son, I do.  Did you think that was a new thing with your generation? Yes?! Oh well, you might want to run that one through the Wikipedia machine to see exactly when that started:

See that? 1971!! Whose generation is that? Baby Boomers! That’s even one generation older than MINE! (Ok, so I am right on the cusp. Boomers usually end in 1964 and since I was born the 3rd day of 1965 I try to ride the Gen X wave and I kinda think I pull it off.) Anyway, I was only 6 in 1971 so clearly the folks starting this trend were at least 10 years or so older. Perhaps it wasn’t until the 90’s that it really took off, but the point is – it WASN’T you guys!!

Look – stuff that comes out from one generation to another might be different urban slang and certainly music does keeps sorta evolving. I would say that hair and fashion progress, but sometimes I think all designers got stuck somewhere between 1975-1985 and haven’t been able to release 🙂 Anyway, point is, some stuff has been around for DECADES for teen kids and those three things are:

Sex, Drugs & Rock N Roll!

Lord – even I had to eye-roll at how old school that sounds.

In the meantime, understand that just because I don’t PARTAKE in these things does not mean I don’t KNOW about them.

And 15? I’m sorry, but your brother already pulled the 4/20 party wool off my eyes so it is NOT happening! Sucks to be the youngest, I know.

(Disclaimer to anyone reading this who knows 15 – he is so far about as far away from anything remotely like a 420 dude that there is no worry here at all. This whole thing mostly just amuses me how he thinks all of this is NEW)

Now, go back to doing your homework please.

Love, me