{"id":143627,"date":"2022-10-26T15:34:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T10:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/gen-xers-with-teenagers-talk-about-how-their-kids-are-different-than-they-were-at-that-age\/"},"modified":"2022-10-26T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T10:05:27","slug":"generation-x-teenagers-discuss-how-their-children-are-different-from-what-they-were-at-that-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/generation-x-teenagers-discuss-how-their-children-are-different-from-what-they-were-at-that-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Generation X Teenagers Discuss How Their Children Are Different From What They Were at That Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Generation X, as well as older Millennials, grew up in an era when cars were synonymous with freedom and getting out of the home on weekends was everything. We were open to taking risks. We rebelled against the families we grew up in, and many of us didn’t think it was possible to talk with our parents back then about taboo subjects. However, teenagers today are more than content to\u2014gulp\u2014stay at home. Guck me with a spoon!<\/p>\n
How has the world changed so rapidly in just a few decades? One answer is that we\u2019re living in an age of technology. For those born from roughly 1961\u20131981, the world was a different place in the \u201970s, \u201980s, and \u201990s. Social media wasn\u2019t even an idea. Computers were as big as rooms, or took up a whole tabletop. Plus, cell phones didn\u2019t exist when Generation X were teens. You were fortunate enough to have a car telephone.<\/p>\n
RELATED:<\/strong>Why Gen X Should be Called The \u2018Disruptor Generation\u2019<\/p>\n Most people assume that Gen X and their children have differences due to the advent of technology. Teens today are more comfortable staying at home due to COVID-19 lockdown orders, virtual schooling, and more communication online than ever before. But you might be surprised by other differences between GenX and their teenage kids.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re part of Generation X or even an elder millennial, what was the one thing you and your friends looked forward to as a teenager? Getting a driver\u2019s license! Many of us celebrated our 16th birthdays at the DMV. It was a way of life. Plus, it gave us the radical independence so many of us sought but couldn\u2019t get elsewhere.<\/p>\n Teens are not the same. This is confirmed by the Federal Highway Commission Administration. In 2018, 61% of American 18-year-olds had a driver\u2019s license, down from 80% percent in 1983. Between 1983 and 2018, 46% and 25% of 16-year-olds had a driver’s license.<\/p>\n Reddit user Reddit shared the experiences of Gen Xers with their teenagers not wanting to drive. The sentiment shared by many parents is summed up in this Reddit user\u2019s comment: \u201cI wanted to drive pretty much anything with tires and a motor as soon as I could reach the pedals and steer. My kids, not so much. Both of my sons were seniors in [high school] before getting their learner permits, and that was just to shut me up. They really weren\u2019t interested.\u201d<\/p>\n Teenagers today just don\u2019t have the same interest in driving. Why? Because teens just don\u2019t leave the house that we did decades ago. For those of us who couldn\u2019t wait to get out of the house on the weekends or during the summer, we just don\u2019t understand why our kids want to stay home. Reddit user posted this recent comment: \u201c[My kids are] more than happy to gather 5-6 friends on Zoom or whatever and giggle and shriek at each other that way. The in-person hangout time just isn\u2019t as important.\u201dPerhaps today’s teens are more inclined to preserve their childhoods than to rush into imitating adults.<\/p>\n As teenagers grow up today in an era impacted by COVID-19, social media, and information being available at a moment\u2019s notice, one searing difference between Gen X and their teens is the sense of community. The religious institutions are an area where the generations have a vastly different sense of community.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a Gallup poll, almost 70% of Americans were members of a synagogue, church, or mosque while Gen X was growing. That number fell to 47% in 2020 after a Gallup poll. It had been decreasing for 20 years. Gen X recalls the hypocrisy of many who worshiped in houses, but some regret that they didn’t replace these communities with better options.<\/p>\n Reddit’s self-described atheist stated, \u201cI never really considered how much of a role the churches played in the community aspect of people\u2019s lives. I grew up in a Catholic family, and the community was massive. It was far from perfect, but it made a difference in people\u2019s lives. Arguably, the positives outweighed the negatives by a large margin.\u201d<\/p>\n Online communities are becoming more popular among teens. Teenagers connect with their friends via social media and play video games. This generation is not defined by cultural touchstones, even though they have these online communities. Because there are so many online media, not everyone is getting the same content.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reddit user, \u201cI wonder what it will be like for them when they reach our age and don\u2019t have the same cultural touchstones. There is so much media that no one is consuming the same thing.\u201dGen X may have many cultural touchstones, but teens today may not.<\/p>\nGen X Couldn\u2019t Wait To Start Adulting<\/h2>\n
Is there still a community?<\/h2>\n
Teens today are healthier and more socially conscious.<\/h2>\n