Generations

[susandennis]

I once asked my mother if she got along with her parents growing up. It was clearly not only the first time someone had ever asked her, it was also the first time she'd ever considered the question. Finally, after grinding on it a bit she said "I don't know. Parents weren't something you liked or didn't like. There just were. You had to get along with them. You had no choice."

My mom was born in the mid 20's. I was born in the late 40's. My relationship with my parents was nearly exactly like everyone else's I knew. Some parents were a little more hands on. I remember Babsie Page's mother used to hover over her sometimes but that's because she was the youngest and her brothers were way older. She was the exception. Mostly parents shoved kids outside and told them to come back when it got dark out. And we gladly stayed outside til dark then when home.

In my house, back to school shopping was greeted with the same enthusiasm as trips to the dentist - by everyone. Mom hated it. We kids hated it. It was a dreaded chore that was hot and sweaty and full of trial and tribulation.

On the first day of school, everyone's mother breathed a huge sigh of relief. FINALLY!! They had the house to themselves. Until the first snow day or holiday when, once again, they would be burdened with pitter patter.

On Instagram these days all the posts are about how sad all the mothers are that summer is over and the kids have to go back to school. They will miss them so much and all the fun things they all did together over the Summer. There are images after images of delighted back to school shopping and first day of school pictures.

It's such a different generation.

I decided to try and sell my Pixel C. I went to Amazon - my preferred marketplace - and learned my account had been deactivated. Probably because I hadn't used it enough. I had heard they were eliminating sellers and clamping down on products available for resell. I was directed to send an email so I did - asking for reinstatement. We shall see. There are other places I could sell it but I can get the best price and sell it fastest on Amazon so I hope they let me back in.

Today and tomorrow and, likely Wednesday, will be bad air days. They say. It looks bad out - very smokey - but the nums aren't horrible. Still. I'm not going anywhere. Again. I don't have any place I need to go - besides the pool - so it's fine, really. I can hang til Thursday.

My TiVo is down to under 10%. That's a record for me. Usually, I'm worried that I'll run out of space on the hard drive. I have some stuff stored on the bedroom TiVo but it's mostly just movies that I'll probably never watch. In fact, most of the little that is left on the main TiVo is stuff I'll actually delete without watching. It looks like the next 6 weeks will be Acorn and Netflix. Which is fine. And plenty.

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

We hated back to school shopping, going to the stuffy school uniform outfitters and the annual struggle to find uniform items that would fit me. Trying to find regulation brown shoes that I would be seen dead in. The only fun bit would be maybe a new pencil case. My mother never expressed relief or sadness at our return to school, it simply was something that happened. Summer holidays were for us to fill our own time, not to be entertained by parents as they seem to be now

[belleweather.livejournal.com]

The Instagram moms are lying liars who lie. Around here, one school starts next Monday, the other one starts on Tuesday. EVERYONE is happy about this, but the Tuesday parents are less happy than the Monday parents because OMG we're all ready to have the kids go back to school! (And international schools have shorter summers than US Schools. The kids didn't even get out until the end of June).

Also, back to school shopping is not a thing here. Schools supply all the pencils, paper, etc. and our kids wear uniforms. I have to stop off and buy some more polos, but apart from that, it's all done. Yay!

[susandennis]

BUT it has to be true. It's on the internet!!! hahahahaha Cracked me up.

[letmesaythis.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that the instagram stuff is as fake as a twelve dollar bill but you beat me to it! LOL

[gevr.livejournal.com]

I guess it is all exaggerated. Everyone I know who has kids is glad they go back to school soon. They're happy the daily routines will return :-)
It is a trend these days that every day has to be a happy day - just plain days are no longer allowed to be :-DD

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

On Instagram these days all the posts are about how sad all the mothers are that summer is over and the kids have to go back to school. They will miss them so much and all the fun things they all did together over the Summer. There are images after images of delighted back to school shopping and first day of school pictures.

Do you think they really mean it or is it just 'point scoring'? Most parents I know are still pleased to see them go back - even if a bit sentimental if it is to a 'bigger' school.

[susandennis]

Are you implying that people on Instagram might be painting a picture that is not strictly true????? :)

[onelargecat.livejournal.com]

I feel both. I love the unstructured days of summer, when we can be lazy and ignore schedules and eat as late as we want and bedtime doesn't matter. And go places that we can't easily go during the school year. But I also like having days to myself after school starts to plan things that are just me. Though then I'm also tied to town more...I can't go as far, at least without some planning, because I have to be here before & after school. So while I have more "me time" it's also more restrictive.

But I also love every season and always lament the ending of one even as I start remembering why I love the next one, so maybe for me change is just always mixed. :)

[susandennis]

I get the changing - a lot.

And, I"m sure my mom, if she's reading this from the afterlife, will come down and smite me over my implication that her days were fancy free. In fact, I'm giggling at how fast she'd wipe that notion off the table.

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

When my twin sister and I were younger, we dreaded going back to school, even with back-to-school shopping, but we realized in recent years, we may love summer, school did give us structure and purpose in a weird way.