90's

Hello, subscribers. I have been waiting to post something since this summer. If we have been chatting, you know this summer was less than stellar for me.

I have been thinking about what to post next. This post is one of the many stories I have been writing in my head all summer long:

I am a Millennial. I consider myself an older millennial or xennial: part of the Oregon Trail Generation if you will. I was born in 1985, smack dab in the middle of the 1980s. I grew up with an older brother. He basically controlled the TV in our household. My brother is an older millennial, so I consider myself one too.

Many would say millennials get a bad rap. We, older Millennials, are nearly 40. (I am about to be 36 and am super happy about it- for the record). Why do we get classified with the younger millennials? I say it is because generations stick together.

When I graduated high school, our generation was called Generation Y. We were the kids of the millennium. We had the best of both worlds. Life before technology. Life before smartphones. I am sure you have seen all seen the memes about this.

Now, we live in a world where we are glued to our phones. As a parent and as a human, this is a difficult situation for me. I talk to Google like she is my friend. My son also talks to Google, which is quite funny.

Anyways, without further ado: here is my list that I have been compiling all summer:

Signs you might be an older Millennial:

New technology is not your strong suit.
You bought your first Chromebook and still have no idea how to start a zoom call on it. (yet, you will figure it out)
You are looking at your printer (which is hooked up and plugged in) that has not worked in years.
You remember your childhood vividly, basing years on the grade you were in/what a wonderful summer you had.
You love the 80s and 90s nostalgia.
You have a memory of riding in the back of a pickup truck.
You also have a memory of riding in the back of a minivan with no seats. Seatbelts seemed optional, but you knew you were supposed to wear them.
Nickelodeon was the best. TGIF was even better.
You may have graduated college during a recession.
You are becoming a parent or raising a child during a pandemic: pandemic toddlers are so resilient.
You are a believer in social justice, at least I am.
You know exactly where you were when you heard of the death of Princess Diana. You remember who you were with at the time.
The same goes for 9/11. May those we lost live on in the memories of their loved ones. Never Forget.
You do not want to settle for any job. It has to be a career job.
You love social media: I remember seeing an actual, The Facebook at the University of Georgia. This yearbook-type publication is where they say Mark Zuckerberg got the idea for the platform while at Harvard. (If you watched the movie The Social Network, he could have stolen the idea. I guess we do not know)
You get confused by Instagram, wishing they taught you how to use it for business in school.
You did not have a hashtag at your wedding. (It wasn’t a very common thing when I married my husband in 2013.)
You may remember seeing rotary phones at Grandma’s house.
You avoid group texts. I am doing that right now, so I can have time to write this.
You prefer talking on the phone over texting.
You got your first phone at age 16 when you were able to drive on your own.
Nowadays, you hate listening to your voice mail.
You think chain letters/emails are the worst. Did you know they still exist? My friends broke the chain of a sticker club for my son once. We did not get any stickers in the mail. (but my son did get some from a friend in person)
You miss getting letters in the mail.
You still like to write things down even though it is easier to use your phone or computer.
You always have to look up how to spell emoji. Thanks, spellcheck.
Speaking of emojis, you overuse them. 🙂 ❤
Mom jeans are back in style, but they are not the ones you remember as a child.
You love skinny jeans. In middle school, you may have spent your own money on wide-leg jeans from the Limited Too.
You did not fly on an airplane until you were in elementary or middle school.
You grew out your bangs as a child. Now you have side bangs as an adult.
Your friends all have grey hair. (none yet for me, luckily)
You have tickets for Elton John so you can say you saw him before he “retires.”
Music shaped your childhood, and now you share that music with your children.
This list could go on forever, like the song that never ends…