This is so funny, because I think I was like 13 when I saw this and I was like "That movie was so boring."
I've never seen this movie. I was 11 when it came out. I remember it being "that movie where that Lisa Loeb song is from".
I've never seen it either. I would have been 15 when it came out. Born in 1979. But we lived out in the middle of nowhere and didn't get cable channels until I was a senior in high school (DirecTV)
I was the right age for Reality Bites, but I never saw it. I still want to see it.
No you do not, unless you like movies in which all of the main characters are horrible people.
Actually, I just thought of a test: did you like the main characters in Gone Girl after the shitty plot twist?
Nope, but I didn't like them through out the story, I did think the end was appropriate if irritating. Still liked the book I think, my feelings about it are mixed.
Can someone just tell me if I'm Gen x or not so I know how to feel/parent?!
Born in 1980. First PC in 1992. (And it was crap even then!).
I snuggled with Care Bears and Cabbage Patch dolls. Had an American Girl doll.
Didn't know about Nirvana until after the suicide.
Hate Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.
Loved NKOTB and Saved By the Bell. And Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Watched Breakfast Club as an adult.
Watched Dirty Dancing until the beta tape gave out.
DEFINE ME!!!!!!
You were born in 1980 but didn't know about Nirvana until after he killed himself?
What kind of Quakers raised you?
Heck, I was raised by Quakers and I new who Nirvana was, but I was only allowed to watch 30 minutes of TV a day and we didn't have cable till my brother went to college.
You were born in 1980 but didn't know about Nirvana until after he killed himself?
What kind of Quakers raised you?
Heck, I was raised by Quakers and I new who Nirvana was, but I was only allowed to watch 30 minutes of TV a day and we didn't have cable till my brother went to college.
So many people of my lost generation... 1981er signing in. heyjude 's list spoke to me, except for Nirvana. I knew about that because my older brother was a big fan.
Interestingly enough, we were just talking about when we got cell phones the other day with the kids, because we went to AT&T to trade in MH's old iPhone and the kids were like, "WE WANT PHONES!!!" And I was like, "DREAM ON!" MH said, "I mean, I just got a cell phone 5 years ago." I corrected him (it was 9 years ago), and then the kids wanted to know when I got one. And I said I got my first one my sophomore year in college; I had one when I was in high school and driving, but it was in the glovebox all the time and only for emergencies. My brother, 2 years younger, took over the phone/car when I went off to college and he turned 16, but he actually used it and that was the number his friends all called, etc. I think that's a bright line for me between me and millenials - when you got a cell phone and when you used it as your primary form of communication with friends.
I don't really get the angst, though. Technology can be great, and one thing I love about it is how easy it is to take it away. It's a great punishment, and it motivates my kids. And I only let the kids bring devices in the car on special occasions or long trips. Like, this morning, I let Jackson bring his 3DS in the car for the ride to school because it's his birthday. Otherwise, you can stare out the window. Although, to be honest, once I could read, I never interacted with my mother in the car and read in the car. I used to make sure I always had two books with me in case I finished one, and when we went on vacation, I would bring a huge tote bag of books to read.
Recent survey showed that Female COLLEGE students spent an average of 10 hours a day on their cell phones and male students spent an average of 8 hours a day on their phones. That is just plain nuts.
DH always requires his college students to put their phones away and close their computers - unless they will be using them as part of the class lecture/activity that day.
Parents need to be parents - and sometimes that means letting your kids be mad at you.
"Between Generation X and the Millennials, there’s a group of people currently in their late 20s and early 30s who don’t identify with either label. We call them the Xennials—a micro-generation that serves as a bridge between the disaffection of Gen X and the blithe optimism of Millennials. But why aren’t they as pissed off as Gen X or as confident as Millennials? Are they luckier than both the preceding and following generations? Or did they get screwed that much harder, thanks to a unique combination of developmental milestones and world events? Our authors, born on either end of the four-year-window, disagree."
"Between Generation X and the Millennials, there’s a group of people currently in their late 20s and early 30s who don’t identify with either label. We call them the Xennials—a micro-generation that serves as a bridge between the disaffection of Gen X and the blithe optimism of Millennials. But why aren’t they as pissed off as Gen X or as confident as Millennials? Are they luckier than both the preceding and following generations? Or did they get screwed that much harder, thanks to a unique combination of developmental milestones and world events? Our authors, born on either end of the four-year-window, disagree."
Non-mom, late Gen-X/early Gen-Yer ('81), who hasn't read all the posts, but did read the article, & wanted to say this: I've read similar articles, complaints, blog posts, & want to scream at these parents: Where do you think your child is getting his/her lack of initiative?!?! Could it possibly stem from the inability of the parent who's only 'solution' to the problem is blaming the state of society?! Plan a game night!! Make everyone write three questions before dinner & converse with one another w/ no technology!! Etc. etc. Right. I know. Easier said than done. Blah blah blah. But I still see such similarities in the blame shifting/ no responsibility taking by the parent & the lack of interaction as a family. It's not the kid's job to figure this out- it's your's! Now Do Something about it instead of bitching & moaning to your internet friends expecting (& generally receiving) eager head nods. GAH!
Non-mom, late Gen-X/early Gen-Yer ('81), who hasn't read all the posts, but did read the article, & wanted to say this: I've read similar articles, complaints, blog posts, & want to scream at these parents: Where do you think your child is getting his/her lack of initiative?!?! Could it possibly stem from the inability of the parent who's only 'solution' to the problem is blaming the state of society?! Plan a game night!! Make everyone write three questions before dinner & converse with one another w/ no technology!! Etc. etc. Right. I know. Easier said than done. Blah blah blah. But I still see such similarities in the blame shifting/ no responsibility taking by the parent & the lack of interaction as a family. It's not the kid's job to figure this out- it's your's! Now Do Something about it instead of bitching & moaning to your internet friends expecting (& generally receiving) eager head nods. GAH!
I bolded the problem. People like this always think someone else should do something about it.
Well, in fairness, she does say she tries to limit technology use.
I don't think it's as simple as "if you don't like it, don't let them have it." First of all, that's much easier said than done. I'm sure it's a small minority of parents who haven't handed over their phones in a moment of desperation when their toddler is having an epic meltdown in a public place. And if you judge that, you probably don't have kids yet.
Anyway, we're talking about older kids here. Like it or not, technology is a part of life. It's EVERYWHERE, embedded in our culture. My 3 year old has been in a computer class at preschool for over a year already. When she's a preteen, she will likely have her own phone, her own computer for homework and probably a social media presence that I will only be able to monitor at arm's length. The proverbial hiding the diary under a mattress so your parents can't find it.
It's like sex education. It may make us uncomfortable. We might pine for a more innocent time (even though we know we were not so innocent ourselves). But we also need to be realists and give our children the tools to navigate this world even when we're not there looking over their shoulders. Simply saying "you can't have this!" isn't a workable solution.
So basically you have already given up on being the parent in this situation.
::links my childless arms with IIOY::
I just don't get why people won't parent. I was in Target earlier today (had to stock up on the yogurt, yo!) and there was a small child who had wandered quite a distance from her mother (who wasn't paying that close attention, to be honest. I judged). When she glanced up, she didn't move toward the child, she stood near her cart (with her phone, natch) and called the child. And called her. And called her. And called her louder. Then even louder and when she finally got the child's attention, she informed her that her dad was going to be walking through the door and boy was she going to be in trouble if her dad saw her so close to the door. I seriously had to use every bit of self restraint I have.
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
Can you guys imagine our parents being this angsty over our tv watching?
I don't know about anyone else, but my folks were like "Here are the rules: you can only watch tv when your homework is completely done and you eat a good dinner. You don't either of those things, no tv. Go read a book. If you give me SHIT about the established rules, you go straight to bed." None of this negotiation bullshit or hand wringing.
This is what we do with B. It works wonderfully.
Exactly! Plus, we had Atari and then Nintendo. There were limits set. Kids can still learn how to use technology without being given full access.
Can you guys imagine our parents being this angsty over our tv watching?
I don't know about anyone else, but my folks were like "Here are the rules: you can only watch tv when your homework is completely done and you eat a good dinner. You don't either of those things, no tv. Go read a book. If you give me SHIT about the established rules, you go straight to bed." None of this negotiation bullshit or hand wringing.
This is what we do with B. It works wonderfully.
While in general this is true, kids are often required to use computers and get online to complete their homework, so it's a bit different.
I think the author of this article is over the top (especially with that John Hughes nonsense... I don't think I ever had what I would call as "John Hughes' moment" and I'm ok with that). And really: take your kids camping if you want them to enjoy nature. Talk to them. Interact with them. During these moments, set limits on technology.
The issue of screen time is just more nuanced now that there are legitimate reasons to use the technology beyond "relaxing." I think parents need to be aware of these nuances and deal with them separately rather than just banning technology out right.
I really don't know if I can think of a movie that spoke to me, despite what I said about Clueless. It was more familiar to me than Reality Bites but not really speaking. Maybe I'll go look at what was released those years because I like avoiding bed lol
Apparently, in 1994, Ace Ventura spoke to me lol. I was clearly not grown.
OMG, I did not realize that was Katherine Heigl's annoying ass in My Father, the Hero (yes, it's a dumb movie.) I see that role was clearly not a stretch for her.
Oh With Honors! I loved that movie. Brendan Fraser spoke to me. Oh yes he did. I am ashamed of this now. Patrick Dempsey was in that, ffs. And look how well things have gone for those two.
I see a fuckton of movies for 1994 that I love the hell out of but didn't see until years later. I was 13 in 1994. No decent parent would be letting their child watch Pulp Fiction.
OMG, the Jungle Book with kindhearted, patient, loving Cersei Lannister. bwahahaha
if anyone else cares to look. It was a good year for movies. It was a terrible year to be 13. My mama wouldn't let me watch Legends of the Fall for YEARS! So damned mean.
The movies that spoke to me in high school were probably clerks (I worked at a cvs in the mall and am from nj and can still quite the whole thing) and then american pie.
I also had a geocities fan page for Ben Affleck and played MUDs in high school. Born in 1980 and there is no way I'm a millennial. I reject that.
But the baby boom is 1945 - 1964, right? So I can see why some people say a generation is approx 20 years.
All I can say is that my mother very minimally wrung her hands about my tv habits, and I turned out to be an adult with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of tropes and plot points from Diff'rent Strokes, What's Happening, Golden Girls, Family Matters, and about eight other shows. If that's not a useful application of brainpower, then I don't want to know what is.
I also saw Rocky IV in the theater at the age of five. It's likely the reason I came to CEP in the first place.
#SUCCESS
No one checked my TV habits. No one. If my people only knew the shit I watched and the amounts of it.
I think it made me very well-rounded. And I get just about every American pop culture reference Family Guy and I rock at Trivial Pursuit 90's edition so I'm winning at life.
I was talking to another mother on my street recently who has an older daughter. Apparently, getting an iphone in 5th grade is the issue of the day. I would have thought 6th at the earliest. I can't believe how it's creeping down to younger and younger kids every year.
One of my daughter's friends got one in second grade. Please see my rants upthread.
We did a survey at work recently* and found that kids as young as 7 have smart phones. They were definitely outliers, but they were there. I think the average age that kids first got phones was 10 and almost all had smartphones.
*Not a huge sample and it was an opt in study so the results were more interesting than scientific.
The worst is that people are claiming their 3 and 4 year olds need it. When I looked at preschools if they used computers I crossed the place off my list. Because NO, a 3 year old DOESN'T need it. At that age it's the exact same thing as watching tv. Being able to slap at a screen and find their favorite game doesn't make them geniuses. Remember the monkeys in the lab tapping the lever for cocaine and nicotine? Same thing. Just own that you give them these things to shut them up for a while and stop acting like it's just the way of the world these days.
One of my daughter's friends got one in second grade. Please see my rants upthread.
DS is in third grade, and all the boys are getting/coveting iPod Touches. I really thought I had until middle school. (Not that he's getting one, but the asking has started.)
Apparently all of my kids' friends bring their Touches on the bus. My kids got my cast-off, ancient Touch, which barely functions, and DD asked to bring hers on the bus. I told her no. The end.
Apparently all of my kids' friends bring their Touches on the bus. My kids got my cast-off, ancient Touch, which barely functions, and DD asked to bring hers on the bus. I told her no. The end.
Yep, this is a common battle in our house. We have a Kindle Fire -- nope, you're not bringing that to school. So sorry.
Instead DS said he looked through one of his "Darth Paper" books for the word "crap" and showed it to all his friends. Win?