You know the Generations, right? The Greatest. The Silent. Baby Boomers. Millennials. Z. And, whatever we’re calling 10-year olds and younger these days.
Yet, what about Generation X?—that amazing group of humans born between 1965 and 1980?
The original latchkey generation that raised itself. We came home from school to an empty house and were Queens of the Castle and Lords of the Manor.
“Hey kid, here’s a house key. Don’t burn it down before your mom and I get home from work”
We were raised on soap operas. Who watched Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital after school? This guy!!
We spent hours on the rotary phone. We came of age with VCRs and the Sony Walkman. We made mixtapes by setting a tape recorder next to the radio.
We didn’t always wear seatbelts. And we didn’t run to the clinic for every sniffle and weren’t put in concussion protocol every time we bumped our head. Some of our physicians even smoked in their office.
In the summer, we left in the morning, came home at lunch, and then went back out until early evening when a parent would bellow across the neighborhood it was time for dinner. And, then we’d go out AGAIN and play in the dark.
Our parents rarely knew where we were. Sometimes we didn’t know where we were.
We earned ribbons and trophies when we WON, not when we showed up.
We grew up during tumultuous events defined by one word or a short phrase. The hostages. Jonestown. Three Mile Island. Challenger. Waco. Rodney King. And countless others.
Yet, we improvised, overcame and adapted. Now, we’re deep into our lives as professionals and parents, taking care of business on both fronts with a strong work ethic, thriving on self-reliance and without a pesky need for constant feedback.
We’re not honored, humbled or blessed. We’re just here. Getting stuff done.
I’m Wester Wuori, a Proud Member of What is Truly the Greatest Generation, and that’s my Perspective.