Which generation are you?

Lots of talk about Baby Boomers...doom and and portending gloom. I'm on the fringe of this generation.

• The Lost Generation 

Those serving in WW I, coined by Gertrude Stein about American writers: Fitzgerald, Hemingway. Came of age during the war.

• The G I Generation (born 1901 or 1929 -  1924 -27, those serving in WW II, 1939 - 1945). Living during the Depression. "Sacrifice for the common good."

• The Silent Generation (children of WW I vets or those too young to serve, born 1925 - 1945). They grew up as the suffocated children of war and depression. For a great PPT, with period photos see: Silent Generation. They came of age just too late to be war heroes and too early to be hippies.

Nanny, foster mother to 200 teen girls
 -who gave me a black doll.
She was wise and good-hearted.

• Baby Boomers (post WW II; 1946 - 1955, or 1966 in Canada.) After the vets came home, there was a population boom. Read The Baby Boomers' Tab. 

• Generation Jones (1954 - 1964) Coined by Jonathon Pontell, in a book by the same name. As in 'Keeping up with the Joneses'. Those with maxed credit cards and incredible debt. The flower children of the 60s were truly in their teens and twenties. They are part of the baby Boom generation.

• Gen X'ers (born between 1965 - 1980) - to the decade following the Vietnam War, 1982 max)  Sandwiched between 80 million baby boomers and 78 million millennials, Gen X has just 46 million members. They were feeling left out and Jeff Gordonier ranted in an essay and book " being heard over the media din about boomers and their offspring, Generation Y, or "millennials" as they're now known, isn't just a challenge, it's annoying. He felt overlooked and underappreciated.

Her stitches were tiny and true

• Generation Y (Late 70s to 2000) or Echo Boomers, The Millennials. Selfless or self-absorbed?

 My grandmother was new to electricity and indoor plumbing. My mother was new to going out to work. Our dads didn't talk much about the war. They didn't provide many role models for the dads of our generation. They were there, but they were emotionally inaccessible. I would predict that PTSD is part of what hurt many families in the past. It is a complex weaving of life experiences.

My generation spear-headed the movement for midwives, giving birth with husbands present. My generation of dads changed diapers, and fed expressed breast milk to their children while we were out taking courses to upgrade, doing volunteer work, night shifts, or networking to keep current.

I was upset, as my generation has helped move us into the age of technology.

VW Beetle!
Me and my bro

My video of JB singing M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E to his granddaughter as we Skyped is a classic way we've learned to integrate it into our lives and use it to our advantage.
My generation of parents uses FB to keep in touch with adult children around the world. With extended family, in-laws and step-in-laws, my kids have learned to 'like' my videos and our photos, with settings geared so that 'friends of friends' can view this digital archive of child development. In this way, grandparents in other countries and climes can check in on grandkids!

My son-in-law got on Skype on my computer so that granddaughter could visit with the other grandmother, when they spent two weeks with us.

I'm proud of our generation. We are eating better, exercising, running marathons (well, not me...!), travelling (ditto!), and making a difference in the world helping support one another, and contributing to society.

Public opinion rarely considers the needs of the next generation or the history of the last. It is frequently hampered by myths and misinformation, by stereotypes and shibboleths, and by an inate resistance to innovation. 

   -Theodore C. Sorensen, presidential advisor, lawyer, and writer (1928-2010) 


What are you proud of in your generation?

Grandparents and the Internet

I have heard news of great developments and innovations on the Internet. I recall taking my first Computer Science course in Jarvis H. S. in the 70s. It was endlessly frustrating. You had to fill in these delightful cards pictured right), which were then sent to the uToronto for processing. Each card had to be filled in with code. Then, your 100 cards would be returned two weeks later with a 'syntax error in line 463'. How far we have come.

The course I found rather tedious. I dropped it.

But I went on to end up, once my kids were born and I went back to work, taking some tutorials from a grade six student in the school where I was teaching JK. I found teaching and integrating technology into my classrooms so very rewarding. I would give the digital camera to the least well-behaved student, and they would be happy and motivated. We used iMovie, Claris Home page (& "Nightmare Weaver" when they 'improved' Claris!), Graphic Converter to make .gifs, Fetch to upload web pages, Kidspiration to create Mind Maps, and Flash for the more sophisticated students.

Many Baby Boomers had to learn technology for work. And it was easy with someone at your shouldere to help you. These days, senior grandparents (who may not have learned technology previously), are incorporating it into their daily lives. I remember, in 'the old days', grandparents would do audiotapes and phone, but computer-to-computer is so much different. My favourite video was taken with the built-in camera on my computer. She loves to watch herself dance, Josephine & Frosty 2 .

J. is fascinated with 'babies' on the computer. When could watch herself, and was so interested in watching the 'baby'! The video that shows us dancing to the Conga we watch. We say, "One, Two, Three..." and J (20 mos, old) now responds with, "Kick!"

Her other favourite video is the airplane. Over and over she presses play, waves 'bye' to the plane.



Many of us are on Facebook (FB) to socialize with Grand Kids (and we think they are all grand!). Many of us send digital photos back and forth. We e-mail and talk to our kids on Skype. It is a marvellous tool. It is the best thing about technology!

I have heard much to denigrate FB, but I use it as a tool. Parents can check out kid's activities, and see who their friends are. I think it a great way for parents to monitor their teens, as well. The price of the Internet is full access to their accounts. It is a privilege, not a right, and we have a responsibility to supervise them.

What we have done, is take photos and video of the kids, upload them to FB and then our granddaughter can go home and review and remember what she did. I don't want to bore everyone with our video. But below I posted the video of the various exciting activities. In the old days we wrote journals. These days we have visual diaries, which promote pre-reading skills, expressive and receptive language skills, and thinking skills in our little kids. Reviewing and reprocessing the visual puts it into the long-term. It helps a young child remember people like her Uncle Jesse, the actor, who did an Polar Bunny (Easter) swim when she was here! She'll say, "Jesse, towel!"

Grandparents, integrate technology into your lives! Let the young people know that we are marching into the new millennium: Betsy has a new toy, too! You will never regret it. With the economy, changing job markets, the necessity to travel for work, families can still keep in touch across distances.
How do you incorporate technology to keep your family closer?

J. at Easter