Oh, No I’m Not!
All right. I guess I have to admit it – I have no choice. I’m getting old. I can’t relate. The boys are wearing those jackets that look like they’re for girls. Pants hanging down past the plumber’s line. Baseball caps have price-tags on them – wth? Girls wearing pajamas in public. The music – oh, the music. Sometimes I get embarrassed – in my car by myself – listening to it. I’m horrified to think that 10 year-olds everywhere are downloading their own music. Yikes.
Bad Was Good
Have you heard them talking to each other lately? When I was young bad was good. So was rad. I wore shorts and knee socks – which my mother still laughs at – but parents could basically understand what we were saying – couldn’t they?
Keeping Up
The only way I can keep up now is to look it up. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, the internet rocks. I had to look up OMG and LOL – which now apparently are outdated. What replaced them? Don’t know. Ask your kid. I figured out WTF. IMHO – I got that one too after awhile. How to keep up? Urban Dictionary.
Warning: Take off your prude hat. It ain’t gonna fit over there.
Paula Henry
June 27, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Seen – Gotcha – I heard that! I only had to keep up because my children are 21-33 and if I don’t they laugh at me:) All in fun! My son, whose 26, told me about Urban Dictionary. Some of that stuff makes me blush 😉
Vance Shutes
June 27, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Paula,
Having two teens in the house, as I do, keeps me fresh on the language and the music. Some of the music is fantastic, as it was in our generation. Some of the music is just noise – again, as it was in our generation.
But keep this in mind:
At our high school (and college) graduations, that was the last time we likely ever saw most of our “friends” from school. Todays grads have cell phones, text messaging, IM, and every social media network imaginable – all to keep them connected with their friends. We all know that there’s power in the network, and the larger the network, the more powerful. Our kids’ networks will give them power to change their worlds which we cannot fathom. And all of this has come about in the past 10-20 years. When I think about the changes to come in the next 10-20 years, I get downright excited! We’re living in a great era. Let’s have fun with it!
Jennifer in Louisville
June 28, 2008 at 6:06 am
Fun stuff. I think having an understanding of the terms is potentially useful. However, I would hesitate to use some of them myself – simply because it would appear like a dinosaur trying to fit in.
Ken Smith
June 28, 2008 at 9:26 am
@ Vance – Funny you mention the ways kids will be able to keep in touch. My sister is starting to plan her 10 year reunion. They were having a heck of a time putting together the invite list. After a little thought they are using MySpace, Friendster, and a couple other social sites to help track down people. So far it has helped as each person on these sites knows at least a few that aren’t.
@ Vicki – As long as you can stop yourself from judging the kids they really aren’t any different then when you were growing up (don’t care how old you are). They are just trying to figure out who they are, how to fit in, what their boundaries are, and how to have a little fun.
Vicki Moore
June 29, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Paula – I get that from my niece – that duh! look.
Vance – Yep. Great points.
Jennifer – Got to agree with the dinosaur thing. 🙂
Ken – Seems to me the lives that today’s kids lead is completely different from my childhood – as mine was from my parents’. That’s all I’m sayin.
Ken Smith
June 29, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Vicki I think that the lives aren’t as different as most think, but perspectives change over time and with experience.
Chris Shouse
July 2, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Very cute…I recently heard someplace in the south I believe had to recall a bunch of license plates because they had WTF on them I thought that was pretty humorous. I have had to ask by dm on twitter on more than one occasion what something was. You think your getting old I am old(er):)