A generation gap is defined as differences in outlook or opinion between people of different generations. The idea implies that age groups are affected by the environment that they grew up in.
We can think very differently from each other depending on when in history we were born. The influences of that particular time such as the economy, politics, tech developments, music and fashion shaped our thought process. These ideas and beliefs are often passed on down the generations.
Looking at the birth years for the Hubs and my grandparents I saw that seven out of eight of them were born in the later 1800s. They were all born outside of Canada in Hungary, France, Russia and the United States.
The late 1800s was called The Lost Generation with sixteen million killed and twenty-two million from that generation injured in the First World War. What were the effects of a loss like that, which occurred in just four years, on society? There must have been confusion and aimlessness among the survivors. Where could they settle to find a better life?
The Hubs’ maternal grandmother and our dads came from The Greatest Generation of the early 1900s. This generation had fought and saved the world, then built a nation. They didn't have the modern conveniences that we have today, but they made do. They avoided debt, were loyal to their employers, had strong morals and were community minded. They were a smaller generation between the war heroes and the baby boomers, but they made their mark as they had survived a war and the depression. Retirement wasn't something this generation seriously thought about; they worked if they were able to so they could put money away for their children.
My mom and mother-in-law both came from what was called the Silent Generation of 1928 - 1945 and were born in Canada. Their generation was cautious (the most trouble they got into at school was for passing a note or for chewing gum). They were self-sacrificing by nature and a lot of the women were stay at home moms. If women worked outside the home, most became teachers, nurses or secretaries.
My parents had five children with a twenty-one-year age difference between the oldest and youngest. Four of us are Baby Boomers and the youngest is from Generation X.
My son-in-law and my younger sister are both from Generation X. This generation is cautious, entrepreneurial and self-reliant. They were the first generation in day-care and some tended to get married later in life than previous generations did. They were also the first latch-key generation. They earn more but have more debt than Baby Boomers. This generation is wedged in between the well-known Baby Boomers and the Millennials. It will be good for me to remember that by 2028 this generation will outnumber us Baby Boomers, so I better be nice to my sister and my son-in-law.
Both our kids and my daughter-in-law are Generation Y or Millennials. There is a lot of pressure on this generation to be successful. This generation challenged the rules with their confidence. They work smarter not harder and have access to technology that previous generations could not even imagine. Lots of this generation lived at home while they became educated. They are more about work-life balance, not just living to work.
My granddaughters are all Generation Z or Post Millennials. They will never know a world without computers and cell phones. They are leaving toys behind at a much younger age in favour of technology. Barbie's target group was once nine year old's now it is three year olds.
When mom and dad moved off the farm into a condo in the city, she never used the dishwasher and only filled the sink partway when she did the dishes. A couple of inches of water was all she allowed herself when she had a bath. Mom could never let go of the idea that water was something to be rationed. I think about that when I use an excess amount of water.
As Baby Boomers, the Hubs and I valued relationships growing up as we didn't have the technology available today. We called friends and family on the phone, wrote letters or talked to them in person. I worked outside the home, so we had two incomes. We were the first credit card users, the TV generation, and will hopefully enjoy retirement.
My son-in-law and my younger sister are both from Generation X. This generation is cautious, entrepreneurial and self-reliant. They were the first generation in day-care and some tended to get married later in life than previous generations did. They were also the first latch-key generation. They earn more but have more debt than Baby Boomers. This generation is wedged in between the well-known Baby Boomers and the Millennials. It will be good for me to remember that by 2028 this generation will outnumber us Baby Boomers, so I better be nice to my sister and my son-in-law.
Both our kids and my daughter-in-law are Generation Y or Millennials. There is a lot of pressure on this generation to be successful. This generation challenged the rules with their confidence. They work smarter not harder and have access to technology that previous generations could not even imagine. Lots of this generation lived at home while they became educated. They are more about work-life balance, not just living to work.
My granddaughters are all Generation Z or Post Millennials. They will never know a world without computers and cell phones. They are leaving toys behind at a much younger age in favour of technology. Barbie's target group was once nine year old's now it is three year olds.
When I think about all these things it helps me understand where people of each generation are coming from in their way of thinking.
My mom always had a fear that a war would break out because she had lived through one. My parents felt that if you had a job you darn well better keep it because times could get tough; they had lived through the depression. Those were the times they grew up in and those fears never left them and were passed down to their children. When your parents tell you they are afraid of something, the memory of their fear sticks in your mind, whether you want it to or not.
We didn't have running water on the farm where I grew up. Mom always said she had running water when she ran and got it. Saturday night was bath night in an old stainless steel bathtub. The youngest kid went first starting with about two inches of water and then the next oldest and so on and dad went last. There was a pail of water in the kitchen with an electric element heater in it to warm more water for the bath as necessary. When everyone was done, one of us had to lift the tub and empty the water into pails and haul it downstairs and outside to be disposed of. As you might imagine, none of us were clamouring to get that job.
Water was a precious commodity on our farm. There was a well by the barn where dad pumped water from for washing clothes. Another well about a mile away was dug for drinking water which was hauled by the pail full in the truck in summer and by snowmobile and sled in the winter. Dad filled a large tank from the slough for mom to use to water her garden.
When mom and dad moved off the farm into a condo in the city, she never used the dishwasher and only filled the sink partway when she did the dishes. A couple of inches of water was all she allowed herself when she had a bath. Mom could never let go of the idea that water was something to be rationed. I think about that when I use an excess amount of water.
Watching the news made mom anxious and she often expressed fear that discord would break out in the country. Maybe that went back to the days when she was young and they listened to the war news on the radio and were afraid.
Have you ever found yourself wondering why someone says certain things that you don't get; maybe we need to take a moment and think about what their personal or family experiences have been that lead to these ideas. When we hear ourselves saying omg I sound just like my mother or father those are the generational ideals that have been passed down.
Have you ever found yourself wondering why someone says certain things that you don't get; maybe we need to take a moment and think about what their personal or family experiences have been that lead to these ideas. When we hear ourselves saying omg I sound just like my mother or father those are the generational ideals that have been passed down.
Do you think that as times change thought patterns that were ingrained in us as we grew up ever really change?
We are all a product of our upbringing - the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree.
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