Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation

The conversation came up about generations at the dinner table the other day. The kids were informing me that the baby generation is officially here! Turns out I misheard them. The BETA Generation is official here, but for now they are all babies so I wasn’t totally off.

First of all when did “generations” become such a big deal? I know it’s always been around. Even this blog title is referencing the song “My Generation” by The Who from the 1960s. So I know it’s not anything new, but to the degree that we compartmentalize everything and everyone according to their “generation”? Is it just me? That seems like something that I started hearing about way more once the Millennials were reaching adulthood. Which brings up another point, some people born at the very end or very beginning of a generation may relate more to a different generation than the one they belong to. I understand you have to draw lines somewhere. No matter when we let kindergarteners start school there will always be some kid who is the youngest. No matter where you draw state lines you have some border towns. Side story, one time I had a friend tell me the town she was from was so small that you could literally have one foot in one town and the other foot in another town. That’s when her sister chimed in “Yeah, you can do that anywhere”. We all laughed but we knew what she meant though. It was a small town. Anyway, I am on the border of Gen X and Millenials. I have heard our generation called the elder millennial or xennials. I like how USA Today describes it- Those of us born in the fuzzy borderland between Gen X. We grew up in a childhood complete free of the internet so that sets us apart from the rest of the millennials. I think it’s significant.

Another thing I don’t fully understand is who is the authority on generations? Who decided what they are called or when they start? I guarantee you if you search when each one begins you will get conflicting answers. I know I have! That’s why I am not entirely sure who is in what generation category. I do know that our household covers all of them from Gen X to Alpha. That’s actually new info I discovered from our dinner table conversation.

We know that J is for sure a Gen X (born in 76). Sorry, I had to with the photo.

I am a barely a Millenial but arrived mid 1982 so I can’t deny it. Google Photos made this GIF for me and I’m using it because does it get any more Millennial than a GIF?

Z is is a 2007 Gen Z. Of course I didn’t know that was his generation when we nicknamed him Z. We all get a kick out of it when someone talks about Gen Z. He is not a bathroom selfie guy by the way, but J and I left our phones in the bathroom at the hotel and so he gifted us with some photos.

SJ might be Gen Z or she might be Alpha. She’s early 2010 so she’s on the bubble for sure. She’ll probably be a lot like me as a Xennial. To be perfectly honest this girl is the type that can’t be boxed in anyway.

Ezie is Gen Alpha but I’ve seen 2012 listed as Gen Z before!

I think he fits Alpha though. That seems to make sense.

Elle is born in 2015 so she is a solid Alpha. And I am not going to say anything negative about her generation or any of them.

I know that society is changing. I know that we have stereotypes for a reasons, but I also know that we have power in our words. I am not going to write off an entire group of people because they were born at a certain time. I see it online with the older generations smearing the younger ones and vice versa.