Generation Gap

Generation gap has been around since the beginning of time. Each new generation today has a label of Gen X, millennial, Gen Z, etc. I have no idea what any of those are.

My label for the current generation (twenty years old and under) is Useless.

I wonder if anyone would want to be labeled that.

They don’t want to work to pay for gas or auto insurance because mom and dad take care of that. Mom and dad want them to focus on getting good grades, go to college, have a career, and raise another generation of Useless.

Harsh? Yup. The truth? Yup.

My husband and I are retired and we’re leaving on a trip in a few days. We’re going to be gone almost a month.

Being the organized, proactive person that I am, I started out months ago with a list of things that needed to be taken care of before we leave

One of the things on the list was to find someone to take care of our yard, flowers, veggies, etc.

We have always used the neighbor’s…dad when their kids were little and the kids when they were teenagers.

We, in turn, get their mail and take care of their yard when they travel.

So two months ago I texted ‘J’ who was in college but would be home for the summer. I told him the dates we would be gone, asked if he could take care of the yard as he has done in the past, and I always offer him a ‘bonus’ if everything is still alive when I return. It’s our little joke.

He said ok.

Two days ago, five days prior to my departure, he calls here looking for a ride to the bus station to catch a bus to take him to the airport because he’s going out of town, indefinitely, to visit his brother.

Wait! What about my lawn?

This is a kid who is an honor student, second year of college, scholarships, robotics team, etc. We’re not talking about some slouch.

So I’m scrambling to find someone…and I did.

I can tell you from experience that something similar happened to me when I was a teenager, and when my parents found out, they cancelled my trip and I had to honor the commitment I made.

I spoke to J’s mom about this as she was on her way out the door for a week-long business trip and she volunteered her husband to take care of my yard.

I didn’t say it, but I thought it, that you (the mother) call up J and tell him to cancel his trip to honor his prior commitment. I knew I couldn’t say it and even if I did, it would never happen.

So we’ve got another generation in the works that don’t want to work, pay for their own cars, gas, and insurance because mommy and daddy take care of it.

Ok, admittedly I’m old school. Love it. Don’t deny it. Think that if we followed some old-fashioned guidelines, our society and future would be brighter than it is right now.

And if you’re wondering about the time it would take to mow my lawn once a week and water everything daily, I can tell you that it takes twenty three minutes to cut the lawn and less than ten minutes a day to water. I live in the city and have a small city lot.

He would have made $500 for that little bit of work for just under a month.

I stand by the term Useless for this younger generation.