🚀 go-pugleaf

"Chookie" <ehrebeniuk@fowlspambegone.com.au> wrote in message 
news:ehrebeniuk-8D9F48.16543906012007@news-vip.optusnet.com.au...
> In article <459dc759$0$20000$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>,
> "Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote:
>
>> My friend was in the post office one day when a new resident (who has
>> bought on larger acreage) was complaining that she was having to buy a
>> tankful of house water (5,000 litres) every 10 days.  My friend asked
>> her what one earth she was doing with the water.  Her response was
>> that she had 3 teenage children and they didn't understand the need
>> for short showers.
>
> That's nothing to do with citified people -- that's the result of Baby 
> Boomer
> grandparents.
>
> I've noticed a huge gulf in parenting styles in Generation X, and it 
> divides
> very neatly on when the Gen-Xers' parents were born.  Gen-Xers whose 
> parents
> were Battler Generation (born before WWII) have a rather no-nonsense 
> approach,
> allow their children to fail, have boundaries, like 'natural consequences'
> etc.  That would be people like me and my DH.  Interestingly, a rather 
> large
> proportion of our friends were raised by Battlers too, so I think there 
> must
> be a common mindset that we all share.  We don't parent identically by any
> means, but there are a few common themes.
>
> Gen-Xers with Boomer parents, OTOH, have been indulged, so they have no 
> idea
> what to do with their children except cater to their every whim and --  
> very
> importantly -- protect them from disappointment and other negative 
> emotions > (that's their concept of 'emotional support').  I suppose that 
> is true of the
> tail-end Boomers who are still parenting atm too.  In fact, I would be
> interested to see if Gen-Xers with Boomer parents are more likely to own 
> 4WDs
> in the city than Gen-Xers with Battler parents.  Ditto for the wasteful
> eaveless Tuscanised mansions, "home theatre systems" and all the other 
> markers
> of conspicuous consumption.  I am already guessing that Gen-Xers with 
> Boomer
> parents are the ones threatening soccer coaches all over Australia and
> indulging in road rage.
>
> The difference between the two groups is the amount of emphasis placed on 
> Self
> vs Community.  The Boomers left all the institutions -- churches, 
> political
> parties, community groups of all kinds -- because of their strong desire 
> for
> individualism.  Unfortunately that leaves you paying attention to nothing 
> but
> Self in the end.
>
> I have cross-posted because I think aus.family might have something to 
> add.

it's an interesting theory - the only problem i can find with it is that i 
think it doesn't pan out in reality :-) i'd have to think about that more to 
be sure where i stand on it, but as a 36y.o. child of baby boomers (dh is 38 
& also the child of boomers), it certainly doesn't work in our house, & 
thinking of people i know, it doesn't seem to work there either.

don't get me wrong - i'm as happy to bag out baby boomers as the next person 
<g>. but it's unkind to think that all boomers are the same when they're 
clearly not and when you do statistical breakdowns on parenting styles of 
the boomers it won't work out either, i don't think.

my parents were always broke when we were growing up - do you think that 
might be the real key? privilege vs lack thereof?

having said that, my own parents (now divorced) are both well-off (now), but 
my dad's a mad spendthrift & my mum's as tight as a fish's bum (it was ever 
thus). it's personality difference. they're almost the same age. it's not a 
"boomer" thing or a generational thing when they're simply so different as 
people.

am i taking your generalisation too literally?
kylie <--- the idea i was "indulged" is frankly laughable :-)