So I was just going through some old photos and I had the most hilarious thought.
What if our parents...or better yet, our grandparents... acted the way we act. No seriously, think about it.
Imagine going through a box of old family photos and finding a picture of your grandma like this
Would you still think of her as the self-sacrificing Greatest Generation matriarchal hero that you see her as now? Would you see her as the oldest and wisest person you have ever met?
What if you saw a war-time photo of your grandfather. What if it looked like this?
As a child, I looked up to my grandparents. My grandmother raised ten children. My grandfather was a WWII and Korean War hero. He watched them raise the flag at Iwo Jima! They worked so hard, and they raised amazing people, and they were respectable and sensible and honest and good. I can't help but think that my opinion of them may have been slightly different if these were the images I found in frames at their house or in dusty old boxes.
I get it... it was a different generation. It was a long time ago. They didn't even have computers back then, for heaven's sake.
So what about our parents? That's a little more realistic...right?
I had a good childhood. My dad taught me to camp and fish and play golf. My mom taught me to cook and save lost and injured animals and love children.
So what if you came home from school everyday, and your mom was sitting at the computer in sweat pants arguing with strangers about politics or liking photos of cats. What if your dad got home from work, cracked open a beer and settled in for some good old Xbox time. Seriously, can you even imagine it?
I know none of us had an ideal life. I know a lot of us had moms who worked and we ate way too much takeout instead of home cooked meals. I know a lot of us had dads married to their job who spent hours a night in their office doing important "dad" things. But they were like... being productive. You know? They were doing... I don't know... things. Things that mattered.
I look around, and I am struck by how very unproductive we are content to be. Our generation. Mine and yours. What are we doing? What are we creating? What legacy are we leaving our kids? I feel a little ashamed, honestly. We had it so good.. you know? We had these generations of people to look up to and be proud of. What are our kids going to have? What are we teaching them? I know most of us do the important things that we are supposed to. We teach them the basics. We do the mandatory parenting things... some of us even do it just because we like to, not because we would be societal outcasts if we were as lazy as we actually want to be. But what else are we teaching?
My daughters might grow up and seriously think it is normal for their husband to play video games! I am sorry... I nearly got through that with a straight face.
Look... I know I have friends who are gamers (I can't believe there is a name for it). I love you all. Really... I do. But I'm sorry. It is just so.... weird.
When I was a kid and even a preteen I loved playing with dolls. I loved playing elaborate make believe games with my friends and family. I loved playing dress up. When I was a teenager, I loved having sleepovers with my girlfriends and trying out different hairstyles and make up styles. We would get a million magazines and cut out pictures of our favorite actors or singers or perfume scents and we would make elaborate collages on our walls. I loved doing that! It was like, my favorite thing. But can you even imagine if I still did that...now? It would be completely absurd.
This is gaming to me. It is the equivalent to me still playing with my friends hair and making Christian Bale (Newsies!) collages. You would laugh at me. You would think there was something seriously wrong with me.
And yet I (and my daughters) are supposed to accept that you are the head of the household. The breadwinner and spiritual advisor for our home... when you think this is normal and appropriate.
Oh baby. Oh baby. That's hawt.
No, but seriously. With a bunch of duck-face self portrait moms and gaming dads...
Just what are our kids going to be like? And who.. I wonder... are they going to look up to?
Would you still think of her as the self-sacrificing Greatest Generation matriarchal hero that you see her as now? Would you see her as the oldest and wisest person you have ever met?
What if you saw a war-time photo of your grandfather. What if it looked like this? 
As a child, I looked up to my grandparents. My grandmother raised ten children. My grandfather was a WWII and Korean War hero. He watched them raise the flag at Iwo Jima! They worked so hard, and they raised amazing people, and they were respectable and sensible and honest and good. I can't help but think that my opinion of them may have been slightly different if these were the images I found in frames at their house or in dusty old boxes.
I get it... it was a different generation. It was a long time ago. They didn't even have computers back then, for heaven's sake.
So what about our parents? That's a little more realistic...right?
I had a good childhood. My dad taught me to camp and fish and play golf. My mom taught me to cook and save lost and injured animals and love children.
So what if you came home from school everyday, and your mom was sitting at the computer in sweat pants arguing with strangers about politics or liking photos of cats. What if your dad got home from work, cracked open a beer and settled in for some good old Xbox time. Seriously, can you even imagine it?
I know none of us had an ideal life. I know a lot of us had moms who worked and we ate way too much takeout instead of home cooked meals. I know a lot of us had dads married to their job who spent hours a night in their office doing important "dad" things. But they were like... being productive. You know? They were doing... I don't know... things. Things that mattered.
I look around, and I am struck by how very unproductive we are content to be. Our generation. Mine and yours. What are we doing? What are we creating? What legacy are we leaving our kids? I feel a little ashamed, honestly. We had it so good.. you know? We had these generations of people to look up to and be proud of. What are our kids going to have? What are we teaching them? I know most of us do the important things that we are supposed to. We teach them the basics. We do the mandatory parenting things... some of us even do it just because we like to, not because we would be societal outcasts if we were as lazy as we actually want to be. But what else are we teaching?
My daughters might grow up and seriously think it is normal for their husband to play video games! I am sorry... I nearly got through that with a straight face.
Look... I know I have friends who are gamers (I can't believe there is a name for it). I love you all. Really... I do. But I'm sorry. It is just so.... weird.
When I was a kid and even a preteen I loved playing with dolls. I loved playing elaborate make believe games with my friends and family. I loved playing dress up. When I was a teenager, I loved having sleepovers with my girlfriends and trying out different hairstyles and make up styles. We would get a million magazines and cut out pictures of our favorite actors or singers or perfume scents and we would make elaborate collages on our walls. I loved doing that! It was like, my favorite thing. But can you even imagine if I still did that...now? It would be completely absurd.
This is gaming to me. It is the equivalent to me still playing with my friends hair and making Christian Bale (Newsies!) collages. You would laugh at me. You would think there was something seriously wrong with me. 
And yet I (and my daughters) are supposed to accept that you are the head of the household. The breadwinner and spiritual advisor for our home... when you think this is normal and appropriate.
Oh baby. Oh baby. That's hawt.
No, but seriously. With a bunch of duck-face self portrait moms and gaming dads...
Just what are our kids going to be like? And who.. I wonder... are they going to look up to?
