Try to Decode Generational Short Hand and Modern JiveHard to believe we are winding down summer, Friends. With Labor Day weekend just around the corner here in the US, summer is coming to its unofficial end.And in our house, like for many of you, this also means sending kids back to school. This year is somewhat unique for us: we are sending one kid off for their final year of college while we also cast another from the nest to begin their freshman in college journey.Bookend moments of such an important time for growth in someone's life.I suppose it is safe to say that dealing with these two young adults this summer has been "interesting" is a massive understatement. Frankly, Friends, while I am excited for both of them, I am also not-so-secretly looking forward to them both going as well.One aspect of having two Gen Z young adults in the house that takes some getting used to (and that I will not miss) is an almost short hand they use in their communication. When they are not texting or DMing each other through closed doors across the hall from each other, their open conversation is usually laced with meme based, young pop culture references that can be hard for anyone over 25 to follow.As I think about it, it's like we essentially raised the two guys from the movie Airplane! who spoke jive and got food poisoning....and, unfortunately, I am no modern day Barbara Billingsley....In recently catching one of these conversations between the two, there was something about the older son walking around, taking pictures for his Instagram or Snapchat, desperately seeking his "main character moments."I think during this same interaction, the younger one was also talking about "quiet quitting" his part time job at the local hardware store before he leaves for campus...I'm not positive what it all means to them, but, if I had to guess, it certainly sounds like they are beginning to come to the realization that adulting is hard. It can be tough watching them work their way through it (I would absolutely prefer to be spared the social media influenced doses of narcissism), but it is not such a bad thing. Whether it is learning to deal with a job that might not be your life's calling but puts money in your pocket to figuring out how to catch your stride and take charge of the adult decisions you need to make, as we discussed a few weeks ago, in the end it is a Struggle worth enduring. I guess what I am learning is that you will not always be able to understand them and what they are going through. And I certainly am not going to attempt to learn the short hand they use to communicate with each other.In the end, all a confused parent really can do is just listen, give their kid a hug and say: 🙄🙈🤷♂️😂And of course, I can share with them links like I did below with you -- hopefully you read them though. Short reads this week so they should be good.Have a great weekend!XOXODave
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Friends of Dave #297: stiff solid hammers
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Try to Decode Generational Short Hand and Modern JiveHard to believe we are winding down summer, Friends. With Labor Day weekend just around the corner here in the US, summer is coming to its unofficial end.And in our house, like for many of you, this also means sending kids back to school. This year is somewhat unique for us: we are sending one kid off for their final year of college while we also cast another from the nest to begin their freshman in college journey.Bookend moments of such an important time for growth in someone's life.I suppose it is safe to say that dealing with these two young adults this summer has been "interesting" is a massive understatement. Frankly, Friends, while I am excited for both of them, I am also not-so-secretly looking forward to them both going as well.One aspect of having two Gen Z young adults in the house that takes some getting used to (and that I will not miss) is an almost short hand they use in their communication. When they are not texting or DMing each other through closed doors across the hall from each other, their open conversation is usually laced with meme based, young pop culture references that can be hard for anyone over 25 to follow.As I think about it, it's like we essentially raised the two guys from the movie Airplane! who spoke jive and got food poisoning....and, unfortunately, I am no modern day Barbara Billingsley....In recently catching one of these conversations between the two, there was something about the older son walking around, taking pictures for his Instagram or Snapchat, desperately seeking his "main character moments."I think during this same interaction, the younger one was also talking about "quiet quitting" his part time job at the local hardware store before he leaves for campus...I'm not positive what it all means to them, but, if I had to guess, it certainly sounds like they are beginning to come to the realization that adulting is hard. It can be tough watching them work their way through it (I would absolutely prefer to be spared the social media influenced doses of narcissism), but it is not such a bad thing. Whether it is learning to deal with a job that might not be your life's calling but puts money in your pocket to figuring out how to catch your stride and take charge of the adult decisions you need to make, as we discussed a few weeks ago, in the end it is a Struggle worth enduring. I guess what I am learning is that you will not always be able to understand them and what they are going through. And I certainly am not going to attempt to learn the short hand they use to communicate with each other.In the end, all a confused parent really can do is just listen, give their kid a hug and say: 🙄🙈🤷♂️😂And of course, I can share with them links like I did below with you -- hopefully you read them though. Short reads this week so they should be good.Have a great weekend!XOXODave