In recent years‚ baby boomers have often been the target of criticism from younger generations. The most common accusations are that boomers are selfish and dont care about leaving ample resources (whether financial or environmental) to subsequent generations.They also come under fire for not being able to acknowledge that it was easier for people of their generation to come of age when things were more affordable and life was a lot less competitive.However‚ we should also understand that many of todays problems are not the boomers doing‚ especially when it comes to the issues that stem from entitled children and technology run amok. In hindsight‚ theres something to be said about the importance that boomers placed on self-reliance‚ letting kids be kids and having a healthy skepticism towards technology.In the end‚ each generation contributes to the tapestry of society in its unique way‚ whether good or bad‚ even baby boomers. This became evident after a Reddit user named Youssef4573 asked the AskReddit subforum: What is something you can say I';m with the boomers on this one about? Over 4‚700 people responded to the prompt‚ and the most prevalent problems mentioned by the younger generations were overreliance on technology‚ the modern worlds lack of human touch and how Gen Xers and millennials have raised their children.Here are 17 things that younger people are with the boomers about.1. Public filming";Just because Im in public doesnt mean I want to be filmed. Yeah‚ I know legally you can‚ but common courtesy people."; Jayne_of_Canton2. Customer service";I want to talk to a person in customer service‚ not a machine."; lumpy_space_queenie";And also a person that actually works at the company I bought the product from‚ not a teenager at an outsourced call center with a script to follow and who answers calls for 15 different companies on the same day."; Loive.3. Turn up the dialog";For the love of all that is holy‚ can we fix the audio in movies so that the music and sound FX arent drowning out the dialogue?"; Caloso";And the action sequences dont burst your eardrums or the dialogue is whispers."; Whynottry-again4. Bring back buttons";No‚ I don';t need everything in my car to be electronic. Some stuff needs buttons."; LamborghiniHEAT";This was the big thing for me in my last car - trying to adjust volume or change songs while driving is way more dangerous when its all touch screen. Thankfully my current car has physical knobs for everything."; GeekdomCentral5. App overload";Every store/service does not need an app."; BigDigger324";I was standing at a car rental counter at an airport (boomer here) to rent a car. My daughters car broke down on the way to pick me up. While standing at the counter‚ with a customer service rep right there and not busy‚ I had to log in to their site‚ create an account‚ and reserve a car. It seemed ridiculous and it took a long time‚ filling in my license information and all that. This was last September."; Cleanslate6. Bring back DIY";Learning DIY skills is crucial. I had basically zero DIY skills when I bought my house because I had lived in apartments for so long and I';ve had to learn a lot. YouTube tutorials are absolutely clutch."; JingleJongleBongle7. Turn off the speakerphone";I hated this when I worked at Walmart. So many of my coworkers would talk on speaker or watch TikTok at full volume. It';s just trashy imo‚ nobody wants to hear your media."; WhiteGuy1x";I work at an emergency medical office and holy sh*t the amount of people that sit in a quiet‚ peaceful lobby and just have the LOUDEST conversations on their phone. Speaker or otherwise. Not to mention the people that still watch sh*t without headphones. Like do you not see the plethora of other people around you that youre disturbing?"; Cinderpuppins8. Ban QR code menus";I think menus should be tangible."; Limp-Management9684";QR codes kill the vibe. Were all on our phones constantly throughout the day and then when you go to spend some quality time with someone‚ its another excuse to whip out the phone and stare at it. Theres an intimacy to a physical menu. Youre looking at what the other person is reading‚ youre each pointing to parts of the menu. Youre noticing the lighting of the restaurant. QR codes feel chintzy and kill the ambiance completely."; VapeDerp4209. Stop subscriptions";When I was your age‚ you only had to pay for a video game once to own it."; CattonCruthby10. Free the children";A kid in 2024 should have the same freedom to exist unsupervised and move about their community independently as a boomer did growing up."; PixelatedFish";The world is safer than it';s ever been and people are more scared than ever. I blame true crime and local news."; Unhappyhippo14211. Kids need to touch grass";Kids shouldn';t be on phones or iPads all the time. It makes them weird."; Ubstantial_Part_952";The same could be said about most adults."; DrunkOctopus12. Stop being so sensitive";People in our generation are far‚ far too sensitive. Don';t get it twisted; empathy is‚ by and large‚ a good thing and it takes some serious doing for me to say it';s gone too far. But collectively‚ we';ve become people willing to throw every last bit of energy fighting against every slight and making sure our pet cause gets top billing to the point of fighting amongst each other even if we';re in almost complete agreement otherwise. Emotional energy - like any other kind of energy - is very much a finite resource. Whereas boomers could at least generally agree to disagree and get on with things (obvious cross-wielding exceptions doth apply). Culturally‚ we';ve lost sight of the adage of ';winning the battle‚ losing the war.';"; almighty_smiley13. Stop delivery";Food delivery services are a complete ripoff; if you use them regularly‚ youre terrible with money. Get off my lawn."; VapeDerp42014. Parking meters";So rather than throwing a few coins in your meter‚ you have to now get your license plate #‚ get your meter number‚ go to the meter station‚ stand in line with everyone waiting to pay their meter‚ then you';re set. It';s an unnecessary amount of extra steps. I don';t carry cash much anymore‚ but I can hide a small amount of coin in my car to quickly pay a meter."; Luke511915. Kids should know their place";Not letting your children rule the roost. When did it become acceptable to let your kids back-talk to you‚ slap you‚ climb all over shi*t in public places? As we';ve raised ours‚ I';ve witnessed so many parents around us just let these behaviors slide. It';s kind of sad when I';m the one saying things like‚ ";Did I just hear you just say that to your mom?!?!?!?! That is not ok. You go and apologize right now!!";. Then I get this stunned ";deer in headlights"; look back that tells me they aren';t used to someone calling them out on their behavior."; Cobblestone-Villain16. Pride in ownership";Seems that a lot of boomers have pride of ownership and enjoy maintaining what they have."; Awkward_Bench12317. Don';t follow leaders";My dad (a solid boomer) has been saying that ALL politicians are crooks since he became disenchanted with politics around the Nixon era. He was starry-eyed before that‚ trying to make social change‚ yada yada. He still votes‚ but holds his nose. Cant say I disagree with him."; Thin_white_duchessThis article originally appeared on 1.23.24

There';s one thing you can say about little kids that';s pretty consistent no matter who the kid is‚ and it';s that they';re brutally honest. Whether you have something stuck in your teeth or you';ve gained weight‚ a small child will inform you - loudly‚ and usually in front of others. But one preschooler';s moment of honesty is going viral for how relatable it is.An exhausted and cranky 4-year-old named Jude has had enough. The little boy had just gotten home from school when he must';ve been asked something before the camera started rolling because his response was a #same moment.";Listen. No‚ do you hear me? I';m cranky‚ I';m tired‚ I worked hard at school‚"; Jude says to his dad.Jude';s mom‚ Amber Tinker uploaded the video to TikTok where it went viral with over 14 million views and over 1.5 million likes. The tiny grumpy human was clearly not interested in whatever shenanigans his dad was up to and he let him know it.Jude';s dad‚ Justin Tinker was attempting to tease the boy about messing with him later but Jude was having none of it. The preschooler quickly repeated that he was cranky and tired after working hard at school. He mumbles something as he walks towards a barn when his dad stops him. ";I';ve already got everything fed and watered. I already got the eggs‚ I did your job cause I knew you was tired‚"; Justin calls out.Though his dad did his chores for him‚ Jude still didn';t feel like he got his point across because later in the video he repeats how cranky and tired he is. Both of his parents explained they also worked hard today and were tired but it was obvious that Jude out tired them all. In the end he declared he was getting a bath tonight. Maybe his mom will bring him a cold Capri Sun and light some candles while he soaks in a bubble bath. Preschool must be rough these days.Watch the whole video below:@judemywildchildThis boy has had enough! #HeyJude #Cranky #Tired #kidsoftiktok #Funny #ViralThis article originally appeared on 10.18.23

When we think about gifted conversationalists‚ were more likely to think of great talkersthose who wow us with their insights‚ wit‚ and charm. However‚ communication experts believe that if you want to make a great impression on someone‚ knowing how to listen goes a long way.Those of us who love being verbose may think the world loves us because of how well we can talk. But the person sitting in front of you has a lot to say‚ and nothing makes them feel better during a conversation than your undivided attention.As the old saying goes‚ we never quite remember everything someone has said to us‚ but well never forget how they made us feel. When you actively listen to your conversation partner‚ they feel that you value them and are receptive to their needs. It also eases any feelings of conflict or resentment.After a good conversation‚ the person you spoke with should think‚ Wow‚ that person really gets me‚ instead of‚ It was like I didnt even exist.A study from 2016 on sales calls did an excellent job of quantifying the amount we should speak versus listen during a conversation. A marketing director at Gong.io analyzed 25‚537 sales calls using artificial intelligence and found that the interactions where the salesperson talked 43% of the time and listened 57% of the time had the highest sales yield.This finding has come to be known as the 43:57 rule.Even though the study was conducted on business calls‚ the reason that it works should apply to social conversations as well. Paying more attention helps a salesperson identify the client';s needs and makes them feel comfortable spending money because they know it';s with someone who understands their interests.Its the same as a social situation where the person you speak to wants to know they are valued and you respect what they say.This is excellent advice‚ but sometimes its hard to listen when youre in a fun conversation and have a lot to say. Kate Murphy‚ author of ";Youre Not Listening‚"; says its all about staying calm.";Deep breaths are always good. They';re always good. Because it...calms down that fear response. It helps you get more centered‚ Murphy told WBUR. But also to develop your curiosity. Like I said‚ make it more important to be curious than to be right. And to go into every conversation with that mindset of how could I be wrong? Instead of‚ let me prove how I';m right.That';s how you develop creative ideas. It';s how you cooperate. It';s how you find middle ground‚ or at least a peaceable existence‚ Murphy added.The idea that to be a great conversationalist one should master the art of listening is a bit counterintuitive. But‚ if you feel that you have a lot to say in conversations and can be interesting to listen to‚ imagine how great thatll make others feel when you show that you enjoy listening to them as well. Its a virtuous cycle where everyone wins.This article originally appeared on 3.7.23

Any time conversations about wealth and poverty come up‚ people inevitably start talking about boots.The standard phrase that comes up is ";pull yourself up by your bootstraps‚"; which is usually shorthand for ";work harder and don';t ask for or expect help."; (The fact that the phrase was originally used sarcastically because pulling oneself up by one';s bootstraps is literally‚ physically impossible is rarely acknowledged‚ but c';est la vie.) The idea that people who build wealth do so because they individually work harder than poor people is baked into the American consciousness and wrapped up in the ideal of the American dream. A different take on boots and building wealth‚ however‚ paints a more accurate picture of what it takes to get out of poverty. Author Terry Pratchett is no longer with us‚ but his writing lives on and is occasionally shared on his official social media accounts. Recently‚ his Twitter page shared the ";Sam Vimes ';Boots'; Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness"; from Pratchett';s 1993 book ";Men At Arms."; This boots theory explains that one reason the rich are able to get richer is because they are able to spend less money.If that sounds confusing‚ read on:\u2026 He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots‚ which were sort of okay for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out‚ cost about ten dollars\u2026\n2/5 Terry Pratchett (@Terry Pratchett) 1643144843Pratchett wrote:";The reason that the rich were so rich‚ Vimes reasoned‚ was because they managed to spend less money.Take boots‚ for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots‚ which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out‚ cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought‚ and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots thatd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years time‚ while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.";In other words‚ people who have the money to spend a little more upfront often end up spending less in the long run. A $50 pair of boots that last five years essentially cost you $10 a year. But if you can only afford $10 upfront for a pair of boots that last six months‚ that';s what you buyand you end up paying twice as much over a five-year period.There are so many areas in which this principle applies when you';re poor. Buying in bulk saves you money over the long run‚ but you have to be able to afford the bulk cost up front. A reliable car that doesn';t require regular repairs will cost more than a beater‚ but if the beater is all you can afford‚ that';s what you';re stuck with. You';ll likely spend the same or more over time than if you';d bought a newer/higher quality car‚ but without the capital (or the credit rating) to begin with‚ you don';t have much choice. People who can afford larger down payments pay lower interest rates‚ saving them money both immediately and in the long run. People who can afford to buy more can spend more with credit cards‚ pay off the balances‚ build up good credit and qualify for lower interest rate loans.There are lots of good financial decisions and strategies one can utilize if one has the ability to build up some cash. But if you are living paycheck to paycheck‚ you can';t.Climbing the financial ladder requires getting to the bottom rung first. Those who started off anywhere on the ladder can make all kinds of pronouncements about how to climb itgood‚ sound advice that really does work if you';re already on the ladder. But for people living in poverty‚ the bottom rung is just out of reach‚ and the walls you have to climb to get to it are slippery. It';s expensive to be poor. When people talk about how hard it is to climb out of poverty‚ this is a big part of what they mean. Ladder-climbing advice is useless if you can';t actually get to the ladder. And yet‚ far too many people decry offering people assistance that might help them reach the ladder so they can start taking advantage of all that great financial advice. Why? Perhaps because they were born somewhere on the laddereven if it was the bottom rungand aren';t aware that there are people for whom the ladder is out of reach. Or perhaps they';re unaware of how expensive it is to be poor and how the costs of poverty keep people stuck in the pit. Hopefully‚ this theory will help more people understand and sympathize with the reality of being poor.Money makes money‚ but having money also saves you money. The more money you have‚ the more wealth you';re able to build not only because you have extra money to save‚ but also because you buy higher quality things that last‚ therefore spending less in the long run. (There';s also the reality that the uber-wealthy will pay $5‚000 for shoes they';ll only wear a few times‚ but that';s a whole other kind of boots story.)Thanks‚ Terry Pratchett‚ for the simple explanation.This story originally appeared on 01.28.22

Have you ever wondered why people don';t seem to say you';re welcome"; anymore?The phenomenon has really caught on lately but it';s roots go a back further back. Back in 2015‚ author and professor Tom Nichols tweeted out an angry response after receiving what he thought was poor customer service:Dear Every Cashier in America: the proper response to ';thank you'; is ';you';re welcome‚'; not ';no problem.'; And *you';re* supposed to thank *me*";The angry tweet elicited a number of mocking responses from people on social media. (@) But eventually one person chimed in with a detailed and thoughtful response that just might give you pause the next time you or someone you know says‚ no problem.";\u201cDear Every Cashier in America: the proper response to ";thank you"; is ";you';re welcome‚"; not ";no problem."; And *you';re* supposed to thank *me*\u201d Tom Nichols (@Tom Nichols) 1442104313It';s not about being polite. Our views on gratitude are evolving.In a response that is going viral on Reddit‚ on person writing under the name lucasnoahs"; laid it all out:Actually the you';re welcome/no problem"; issue is simply a linguistics misunderstanding. Older ppl tend to say you';re welcome‚"; younger ppl tend to say no problem."; This is because for older people the act of helping or assisting someone is seen as a task that is not expected of them‚ but is them doing extra‚ so it';s them saying‚ I accept your thanks because I know I deserve it.";No problem‚"; however‚ is used because younger people feel not only that helping or assisting someone is a given and expected but also that it should be stressed that you';re need for help was no burden to them (even if it was).Basically‚ older people think help is a gift you give‚ younger people think help is an expectation required of them.Nichols took a lot of flack for his comment. But the insightful response reveals something important about gratitude.The thoughtful response from lucasnoahs"; doesn';t apply to everyone. After all‚ there are certainly a lot of people of any age group for whom acts of kindness and gestures of gratitude are no problem.";Still‚ his message conveys an important idea that doing well for others does not have to be a grand gesture. It can be a simple act -- and the additional act of letting someone know that it';s really no problem helps relieve any potential sense of debt or guilt the person receiving the gesture might otherwise take on.Most of the time‚ doing the right thing is indeed no problem. In fact‚ it might be the solution to a lot of the daily problems we grapple with.This article originally appeared on 08.15.18.

It';s back-to-school time (yaaassss!)‚ but that means it';s also the time when you have to tackle those super-long‚ super-specific school supply lists (uggghhhh!). You know what I';m talking about the 15-plus-items-long list of things your kids need for school.As a bonus‚ they';re often brand-name specific. Seriously. Because Elmer';s glue is apparently just that different from generic store brand glue.Based on the venting ( ";OMG‚ everyone is sold out of pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils!";) and cries for help I';m seeing from my fellow parents on social media (";Where did you find three wide-ruled draw-and-write composition books?"; OK‚ I admit that was my question)‚ a lot of our public school kiddos are being given supply lists quite similar to this one:Sample school supply list created from actual lists I';ve collected. Some items have been switched between lists to protect the innocent.While many public schools send these lists to parents‚ in certain states they';re ";requests"; not ";requirements"; (even when not clearly presented that way) because some states cannot legally require students to provide their own school supplies.Optional or required‚ however‚ these school supply lists are important.I know‚ I know lots of us parents have many feelings about them‚ like:We didn';t have to buy a specific list of supplies when we were kids (walking uphill both ways‚ two miles‚ in the snow).This is public school‚ not private school! Can';t the glue sticks come out of my taxes?This list is so name-brand specific. Are Elmer';s glue sticks reallllyyyy that superior to these cheaper‚ generic ones?Seriously?? So many glue sticks?! Just ... what?And we can all agree that it';s not right that public school budgets are regularly slashed and aren';t big enough to cover the basic necessities essential for our kids'; success. (You know‚ like pencils.) And in some cases‚ budgets are misused‚ and that';s not right‚ either.But as much as parents dread shopping for school supplies‚ our children';s teachers probably dread having to ask.Katie Sluiter‚ a mom of three and teacher of 13 years‚ shares in parents'; frustrations about supplies just from a different perspective. ";I struggle every single August with having to ask for [supply] donations. I hate it‚"; she says.She';d love to stop asking parents to bring in a combined total of 800 pencils and 1‚000 glue sticks and just buy them herself. But as a teacher‚ she simply cannot afford to do it.";I hate that we have two full-time salaried workers in our house. ... I have an advanced degree‚ and we are still living paycheck to paycheck. It feels shameful to have to ask every. single. year. for donations. Teachers don';t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.";";Teachers don';t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach."; Katie SluiterNicole Johansen‚ a mom of two who was a teacher for 12 years‚ echoes Sluiter';s sentiments. She cites never ending budget cuts as well as the need to stretch other funds‚ like PTO-raised money‚ further and further as the reasons supply lists exist and adds‚ ";It is frustrating knowing that schools should be appropriately allotted funds for supplies this said from the parent AND teacher standpoint.";So most of us are on the same page here. Class supply lists are the pits ... for everyone!The most significant thing to remember‚ though‚ is that if your budget allows‚ it';s important to purchase the items on the list.If you';re not purchasing the supplies‚ it';s very likely your child';s teacher will have to with his or her own money.Image by Thinkstock.And we';ve already established that teacher salaries aren';t cutting it when it comes to taking care of their families and their students.And maybe it';s not so much that teachers have to spend their own paychecks on classroom supplies‚ but they want to because an overwhelming majority of teachers genuinely care about their students.";I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students‚"; Johansen said. ";Pretty much all teachers I know will be spending for their classroom despite having to cut back the grocery bill for their family.";";I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students."; Nicole Johansen";No‚ we don';t have to spend all that time and money on our classrooms‚ but it makes it a quality experience when your children have things like science experiments‚ books‚ art supplies‚ and a comfortable‚ cozy classroom environment.";OK‚ but seriously‚ what do they do with all of those glue sticks?!I know I';m not the only one who opened up that list when my daughter was in first grade‚ choked on my coffee‚ and exclaimed‚ ";THREE DOZEN GLUE STICKS?! What‚ are the kids eating them? [Probably. Little kids eat all kinds of gross stuff.] Are the teachers selling them for profit? [I wouldn';t blame them. See above about teachers'; salaries].";Image by Thinkstock.";We glue kids'; mouths shut‚"; Sluiter told me when I asked.";Totally kidding. They last like 12 seconds ... [and] no matter how vigilant we are in supervising the picking up and putting away of supplies‚ each time we get the tub of glue sticks out‚ there are about three to five dead soldiers and lone caps rolling in the bottom of the bin.";(I love teachers with senses of humor!)But back to the actual issue. My friend Shannon summed up the class supply list conundrum perfectly‚ if bluntly:She wants parents who can budget in school supplies without experiencing a financial burden to ";quit complaining about some of the items being communal. Vote for politicians who will quit cutting money from schools. I don';t remember my parents having to buy 20 glue sticks‚ but I certainly don';t think any more should come out of teachers'; pockets.";Couldn';t have said it better myself.This story originally appeared on 08.11.15.