The Most Terrifying Generation.

GenX coming in at ONLY #2 for the most terrifying generation?? I disagree 🤣 #genx #genxcrew #genxkid #90skids #80skid #70skids #generationx #bekind #therealslimsherri

[@tjsrestorations7637]

They had to put an actual ad on the TV saying "it's 10 pm do you know where your children are????"

[@jessicaperry2184]

Or the egg crack " this is ur brain and this is ur brain on drugs😂"

[@dontsqueakthecat]

I remember thinking, "These jackasses don't even know the difference between drugs and breakfast. A bong hit would straighten that out. lol

[@barefootbutterfly321]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I remember those!

[@nettyperez7611]

OH MY GOD!!! I remember that!!! Mostly because I grew on PR and as a girl I was at home but I was wondering where was my brother?

[@bobc538]

In Dallas it was Bob Gooding who always opened the 10 o'clock news.

[@porkchop23]

As long as we didn’t take a life or bring one into the world, our parents really didn’t care.

[@victoriaporter8665]

Amen😂😂😂😂

[@michellealjunaidi8471]

Facts!

[@Samone1Mur]

Say it again for the folks in the back!!!

[@tbaugh82]

We got close to losing a friend on a teeter totter during a stunt gone bad...luckily, it only cost the poor girl her eye. We were back at it before she even rolled away in the ambulance.

[@bradargenbright4096]

That pretty much sums it up

[@Angel-rq3pi]

My mother told us Dont call me from jail. We took that to mean DON'T GET CAUGHT😂

[@anothersquid]

Yes!

[@watup110875]

AMEN TO THAT GIRL,... they lost it over what I got caught doing when I went to jail (DRIVING REVOKED WITH DUI THAT WAS ONLY 0.11,.. what will they do WHEN THEY FIND OUT WHAT I HAVE DONE AND HAVEN'T BEEN CAUGHT ROFLMOAO cancer gen cry babies better heed the promise and move on

[@SilverPonyKat]

If the police were involved- we Wanted them to take us to jail! It was safer there than home when our parents found out.

[@watup110875]

@@SilverPonyKat amen

[@mrcvictor]

Facts

[@sk8terchick540]

We definitely got away with more since we didn't have tracking devices in our pockets 🤣

[@yuvanbaldwinew9282]

Basically, if you're a gen x, we were adults by age 7😮

[@drunklink350]

I was born in '84 but yes by 7 I was on my own

[@CulturalProspect]

Say it again cause we were but, weren't. 🤔

[@jonsobieralski6053]

FACT

[@jtowensbyiii6018]

It was this way for most of history 😂 not special at all, gen z is the first generation this isn't true due to a literal virus killing millions

[@ddz1375]

​@@jtowensbyiii6018the pandemic was a test of obedience and maladaptive behavior.

[@tmgha6876]

“Children should be seen and not heard”… we were ninjas from the start

[@barbarajeanbrinius6945]

Sooo true. Got away with shit. U??..

[@jackalina91]

So fcking true

[@danae5578]

Oh I was a ninja in order to watch Saban's Adventures of the little mermaid at 6am on Saturday mornings and if I failed than I would get sentenced to my room til 9am. When 3 hours felt like foreverrrrrrrrrrr.

[@user-mh1ku2hu7o]

😂😂😂

[@fitnessfoodflow3785]

Omg so true! Heard this all the time. As long as you were home before dark no questions asked 😂

[@Roguefem76]

I cracked up because my response to "how often did you play outside?" was EXACTLY the same as Sherri's - "Every f'n day!" 😆

[@heatherbullock9020]

As soon as Saturday morning cartoons were over "Get out of my house!" After school homework done? "Get out of my house!" That was at the age of five "Don't leave the neighborhood!" Age six "Here is a dollar for the day "Get out of my house!". I never saw my parents during school breaks. And if the weather was bad, we were tossed into the playroom or our bedroom, the door shut and they saw us at dinner.

[@PartywCarolinaCheryl]

My answers to every question were almost exactly the same. born in 82, but identify more with genx.

[@johnnix862]

​@@PartywCarolinaCheryl Born in "58" Y'all learned from us.

[@DitaR-zh6ko]

I-you realise gen zers go outside too, right?

[@charlescourtwright2229]

I remember those days, moving 3 times and the explosion of the internet killed it when I was 11 though, hard to believe that was 14 years ago

[@amybean-zamora419]

Got away with WAAYY more, had a key hanging from string around my neck, and played outside until I was married🤣🤣🤣 I love this woman!

[@kaindabadguy]

Our generation spent so much time outside, being told to come indoors was like a prison sentence.

[@stacythebelowaverageturtle9973]

Most likely because that's where all the instruments of torture were...

[@jaxcoss5790]

Indeed. 😂😂😂

[@arreola891]

Now, they don't even want to LEAVE the house! 🙄

[@homesteadgamer1257]

haha truth. It was just about pitch black by the time we came in, and only because we were threatened to or else lol

[@feehanfan9079]

Yes! 😂

[@unacceptablesisterpeter3431]

To the last question: Thank you Jesus that there was no ring camera in my day.😂

[@celtzen]

or mobile phones.. dear gods...

[@Samone1Mur]

Baaabaaay ...Whew thank you Jesus!

[@katrinawiley-pe9ls]

Amen

[@mindyenglish5305]

Can you even imagine? I'm pretty sure we're the reason they exist now, though.

[@msJjbluematrix]

I'm almost sure that is a tit pic I took at fourteen somewhere out there on polaroid. So glad there was no social media 30 years ago

[@user-fv7bf6ub1j]

66. As a genx man, we were so fortunate to grow up the way we did. It was great and it was true freedom. Our friendships were real, some lasting to this very day. I caught and sold bait as a little boy. Men would come to my house at 5 or 6 in the morning and knock on the door and ask my mother. "Where's the boy? I need some crabs or eels or shinners." I was the bait boy At age 6 or 7. I always had a few bucks in my pocket. We all did. Oh fun days...

[@heatherbullock9020]

I used to be a "mother's helper" at the local grocery store. Just helping them with the kids while they did their shopping. The number of women that didn't even question a seven year old in the parking lot would be astonishing now. "I'll pay you a dollar if you hold this". The "this" they were referring to was their one month old baby. Times were definitely crazy!

[@celticmomhere4430]

Class of '84!!!

[@Book-bz8ns]

Me too ​@@celticmomhere4430

[@malloryjines5050]

If you’re 66, you’re no gen X, you’re a boomer as am I.

[@user-fv7bf6ub1j]

@@malloryjines5050 1966.

[@sophmv16]

Her answers are me. I am the oldest of 5 siblings. We were lachkey kids. We played outside until the street lights came on. I'm proud to be gen X. 👊👊👊👊👊

[@kimely5311]

I'm a genx....i approve this message. She's 💯 correct.😁😁😁😁

[@teresarammel5891]

Our parents didn't know we had feelings.

[@MimiKeel]

Oh they knew, but they didn't give a sh***

[@iliahgonzalez3994]

Or care about the ones we had... Because in our generation kids were NOT the center of the world.

[@jenniceboykin5612]

That’s true

[@TheNylter]

My Silent Generation parents were busy having their totally justified feelings about others in the family. I, the GenXer, just kept my head down and my nose stuck in a book.

[@BellaR.]

My parents told me I had no feelings lol 😝 then I got a new toy 😂

[@rebekahcurtis1046]

Had at least 30 to 50 phone numbers memorized in my head! And they weren't only fists involved 😂

[@KitsuyuutsuR]

Born 1973 and a proud Gen X gal 😊 I was just telling my husband the other day that we were the last good generation and it’s because we’re literally so bad ass. We raised ourselves and we raised ourselves well. 👍🏻

[@jules-marcdavis6843]

Born in '64 I'm thinking how much life was living on the edge, when we were still living in caves... 😂

[@benstandard]

If you're gen x and still married to your husband that's a rarity, and that's because our generation wasn't so great. Yeah .... better than the ones that came after us but that's due to increased social engineering and more control freak policies in place in the schools and in the legal system. A lot of cops were harassing kids riding their bicycles in the neighborhoods and in the parks which Is partially why they started hanging out at home more.

[@benstandard]

​@@jules-marcdavis6843Once they redefined what a gen x was it was deemed that those born in 64 were the last of the boomers. Originally, those born between 1960 to 1965 were the last of the boomers and the first of gen x.

[@folkloreswiftie13]

That’s not really a flex…

[@ValerieDee123]

We were feral. This dude better stop fing around or he's fixing to find out We lived outside!

[@gillianfrancis3726]

When you consider what our generation has been through a lot, more of us should be locked up dead or missing,we really are badass..

[@gwendolynbrown1111]

Original Gangsters❤

[@christineandersonsarles7881]

😂😂😂 ❤

[@christineandersonsarles7881]

I got away with more 😂

[@Ninjanimegamer]

Badass, or scared survivors running like hell to stay alive?

[@adopteeonamission]

Lol. We got new neighbors who are about 30 years younger than us. They invited me over and introduced me as OG. I had no idea what it meant.😂

[@ccassidy43montana]

Gen X.. we were the last generation that lived like lord of the flies.. there were 3 channels on TV and it signed off with the National Anthem.. we didn't have the internet...

[@KathrineJKozachok]

I LOVED turning on the TV at 6am and hearing the national anthem!

[@TJ-qh7kf]

We had 5 channels

[@spanishlady3270]

❤😂❤😂❤😂

[@spanishlady3270]

​@@-sz8gibut true...❤❤❤

[@mamiavodah1012]

3 channels that only came in by messing with the bunny-ears on top the TV!!

[@cutebunn5908]

10 to cook, younger to help with laundry, 10 to babysit. Always played outside and would go to 7/11 regularly. I was running the household at the age of 14. I was regularly ignored. 💜💜

[@katejackson6502]

Bahaha! Love that! Just because we don't give a fuck about your opinion doesn't mean we aren't compassionate! I've learned that asking for help allows your people to show you they care and will open up to you in return. It enriches both lives.

[@wanda5453]

I have found asking for help allows me to get pissed off cause I'm gonna hear, it's not convenient.

[@brettoberry3586]

"...Feelings... with your parents." LOL

[@_FFFFFF_]

Since when did feelings matter to gen Xs.parents 😂.

[@AoifeNic_an_t-Saoir]

As a Gen Xer with Boomer parents, I can confirm that feelings did not exist back then!! 😂 There’s not a day that doesn’t go by without me asking my daughter if she’s Ok! She can’t even begin to understand why how she’s doing is so important to me 🥹❤

[@kirbyourenthusiasm]

Yeah I don’t ever remember even hearing the word feelings when I was a kid. Unless it was “Aw did that hurt your feelings? Get over it!” 😂

[@MissEasyPeasySleasy]

That’s where I lost it, too! Pppfffft! Feelings??? What’s THAT?!! 😅😅😝🤣

[@yuppers1]

GenX here- I remember people were allowed to have feelings, but it wasn't us kids. Only parents were allowed to freak out and yell. We had to shut up.

[@lauraD19541]

That’s crazy!! Walked to school by myself in kindergarten. No crossing guards. 😅😅😅😅

[@HeavnzMiHome]

I’m a boomer. We didn’t have kindergarten but I walked to and from school from Grade one through to Twelve mostly by myself.

[@MsNanite1]

I was a crossing guard at 9 years old.

[@DaniElle-di4ho]

I almost got run over crossing the street when I was 8 to get to school, and the driver got out and yelled at me 😂

[@tiffanysimpson3336]

Same but with crossing guards

[@testruelove2530]

no kinder garden ,straight first grade! figured it out on my own! if get bullied you figured that out on your own!

[@MarcyTrivette]

I got away with more because after being outside all of the time unsupervised as a kid, I learned how to be sneaky. 😏

[@vanessanassif]

The TV was our babysitter. That's why we still know every single TV commercial from the '70s and '80s by heart.

[@georgeburgmeyer7274]

How do you get shirts so clean Mr Lee?

[@vanessanassif]

@@georgeburgmeyer7274 Don't squeeze the Charmin!

[@ozok17]

longer with Big Red!

[@vanessanassif]

@@ozok17 I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony

[@no-stresscat1519]

Big bubbles...no troubles.

[@babypickel013]

We learned to survive with little parental supervision. We also were not afraid to call out BULLSHIT when we encountered it.

[@Tmhjr_Baskar]

I did that once. Same result as cussing the first time. I had a bar of soap for dinner.

[@mikemcgown6362]

I still call it out when I encounter it. I don't have many friends now days.

[@tanawilliams7498]

You must have had awful parents! I'm a boomer and always worked and yet my kids had a hell of a lot of supervision as did my millennial. I didn't smother them and half the time. I didn't know where they were precisely, but I always paid a lot of attention and made sure all three of them knew how to be responsible, not only to others but to themselves. My kids learn to cook and around the same age I did between 10 and 11. And my kids always knew they could talk to me about anything and they took that quite literally. One day my oldest did a three-way call with me and her best friend because her best friend and I suspect my daughter either didn't know how to put a condom on. While I was screaming in my head. I calmly explained exactly how to do it. At least they were practicing safe sex. The people who continually put down boomers and Gen xers are the ones who were left to run like wolves without very much parental supervision were never taught any manners were coddled all the time and now blame everything that happens in their own lives on boomers and Gen xers.

[@Tmhjr_Baskar]

@@tanawilliams7498 I can honestly say that none of us had sex (especially me) growing up. Parents would gone nuclear if that happened. As for me, we all thought I had a pituitary gland disorder. In truth it is, in a way... But at least kallmann syndrome is treatable. Being born a eunuch and lied to by doctors didn't help. And when I was 28 I learned my pituitary gland was a dud...essentially deciding for me that further hrt was absolutely pointless for me. My parents knew where I was, sorta. As long as I left a note and informed my grandparents (who lived next door), it was all good. That way if an emergency arose they'd know the general area I was in. Course, still meant that they'd have to scream/yell in the woods till I heard em, but still. I learned how to cook young. Was a requirement to know if I was gonna be out in the woods somewhere. If I wasn't out and about, I was working either on my family's farm or at a neighbor's farm. Same goes for my younger sister...only she had no desire to disappear for days or weeks on end. Then again, at least she had friends - so maybe that filled a void for her. I knew I could talk to my parents...just that I also knew they didn't understand the crap I was going through. They'd (teachers, counselors, and principals included) keep saying: that they had to deal with bullying when they were my age and that I was exaggerating about how I was being treated. Tell me, how is it exaggerating when I have to be escorted out of the bathroom in towels because I've been peed on and spat upon after being beat up so much I pass out? Can Always talk to adults with your problems (big fat lie right there, I learned that lesson) Kids really aren't that mean and cruel, it's just your imagination Boys don't cry, pick yourself up and work it out Why don't you make some friends? (Well gee, maybe it's because they all hate me) It's easy fighting back against one or two...it's impossible when you have your peers after you...they best you down and the grade above you comes to join in. Or visa versa, just depended on who saw me first. Back in the 80s and where I lived autism and ADHD was unheard of. Best I ever got diagnosed with (from multiple psychologists) was depressed, anti-social, and lack of self confidence. My parents solution? I'm normal. Period. I actually wanted to be in the special education classes. At least they taught according to what the students needed. In regular classes if you didn't do work their way, you got an F. Special education taught their students how my first school taught. I begged, I pleaded...but my father (he put his foot down on the matter) said no child of his was going to be in a class for slower students. It wasn't until many years later when he wasn't working so much and had time to listen that he realized he was in the wrong. But by then I was out of school. So it goes. I've log accepted I'm the odd ball, the black sheep of the family. And no one can convince me otherwise. For mom the black sheep means something else and it's not good...I understand her perspective, but I have my own as well. I was never coddled. My youngest sister was...she is the baby of the fam.. she was born in 87. Parents actually listened to her a heck of a lot more than with me. My younger sis actually turned out normal. I'm a recluse and I hate society. Anxieties up the wazoo from long term isolation. When covid isolation was over I actually had something to laugh about. 2 years in isolation? Please!! Get back to me when you've been in isolation for 20+ years. If that means I have a sick sense of humor, so be it. I'm just happy I had something to make me laugh. My youngest sis turned out a lot like me. She had a similar experience in school... At least she had friends...but socially youngest sis is more active than I am. And she's able to go to town without a blowout panic attack. Not taught manners? That was emphasized growing up. Though parents never taught me to call elders or people of authority ma'am or sir. I personally believe that was just ingrained on me from birth. Looking back, I realize my parents did the best they could, but they didn't understand nor did they have the tools that many have today when it come to neurodivergent issues and understanding. At least we didn't have a system that now goes after autistic children and tries to brainwash em. There's that at least. We may not have had the Internet, but we had bulletin board systems. At least to those of us that never believed it was a fad, lol. I chatted with people from Finland Australia, the UK, and many people from the States. We sent email (yes, we had email in the 80s, just not how many think of it as today) and we learned from each other. People shoulda paid more attention. I and many other children were hooked on screen time in the early 80s. And many of us tried to warn others about it in the mid 90s too. Did anyone listen? Nope. We were branded as being crazy, fear mongering, and lunatics. Guess people shoulda listened cuz now children and teenagers are facing the exact problems we tried to warn about. Well, some do listen. Others actually blame us for not speaking loud enough. **scoffs**. Sure, we get harassed and threatened and it's our fault..and 25-30 years later it's still our fault for not speaking louder. Crazy ingrates. I don't have kids, obviously... And younger sisters don't want em. So it goes. But I do feel sorry for my parents. No grand kids, ever. And no, I'm not gay, trans, or intersexed. There's crazy talk out there by crazies who say that a eunuch isn't straight..and there's some crazies who won't leave me alone wanting me to be their poster boy for certain movements. Ain't gonna happen.

[@khjusafan6657]

Our parents knew what we were doing and what we were upto for the most part. They let us be kids and make mistakes so we could learn from them

[@roseb1370]

BWAHAHAHA! ITS ALL TRUE. of course we got away with more, getting caught meant getting beat 😂😮

[@Albanyoregonskywatcher]

Challenge accepted 😆 🤣 I'm so glad cameras were a thing then. 😆 🤣

[@maryfolks9368]

Right?! 🤣 my dad was an electronic linemen. He had parts of his climbing belt he used for our butts😂😱😭

[@elainedodson4114]

When police threatened to call our parents, we would ask them to take us to jail. That would guarantee release EVERY time...

[@justwinks1553]

Yeah. Like go pick a switch

[@armadillotoe]

Not getting caught was always part of the plan.

[@FayeKnight660]

The Parents of GenX Are the Most Terrifying Generation.We raised them!!!

[@shelleygibbons1065]

Yes born in 63

[@user-fh3bu3od2c]

Fully agree with that, 1950

[@fozzsr]

I barely squeak in at 1966 and all these things are true. We were kings and queens of our own unsupervised worlds and it was heaven! Oh, to go back, I'd do it all again with very little changes.

[@chrisrobbins9279]

Best part of becoming a grown man, telling my parents how much stuff we got away with lol. Got grounded for a week, I was already married

[@binbin9196]

Exactly. I waited until my mid thirties and early forties to admit to what I got away with to my mom.

[@aramotselaw3794]

LOL 😂

[@catlady9123]

The other part, finally hearing what your PARENTS got away with as children because now that the "kids" are all adults, they start opening up as well and reminiscing with their siblings.

[@kirbyourenthusiasm]

@@catlady9123yeah like the time I found out that my dad broke his foot running from the cops after getting caught sniffing airplane glue. That came up when his doctor asked if he had ever broken a bone. 😅 I was 48 when I learned that.

[@-KMA-]

😂 my parents still tell me, and I’m 43, I’m never too old to get smacked. Of course they haven’t but I don’t curse in front of them cuz I know they mean it!

[@annettejohnson3625]

That's why we're so independent! ❤🎉

[@gwendolynbrown1111]

💯💣💪

[@deniseglover2416]

Exactly!

[@jean-mariehendricks7399]

That's why we still are.

[@toots810usa6]

I got away with IT ALL! I was an only child, Mom was never home....was in the bars dancing disco at 14 and had the time of my life!!!! That was real freedom!!!

[@syoung4724]

Love the fist fight question. Can't believe there are adults in the world that have never been in a fistfight. I stayed outside until the street lights came on and went anywhere I wanted. Started cooking and washing dishes when I was five. Starting babysitting when I was six because I raised my siblings!

[@BeeWhistler]

A lot of adults have never been in a fistfight. I've never been in one. Closest I had was a slap fight with my sister.

[@tinaandfam4751]

Younger generations simply don’t understand the freedom we had! I was 8 years old and rode my bicycle 2 miles each way to our local swimming pool. My grandparents NEVER even knew I had left home

[@kaleidoscope8743]

They knew. You just didn't know it.

[@___LC___]

Same! We rode the two miles to lessons in the morning (because at 16 lifeguarding would be one of our jobs), then ride home, make lunch to be ready at the exact time our parent got home for lunch, watch all my children, then when the parents went back to work, we rode back to the pool, then we rode back and made dinner….then if it wasn’t crazy hot we’d play outside until my mom rang a bell, at which time it was dark and all went home….unless we had plans for games one likes it dark for…or drinking…

[@paulkimber6028]

I grew up in a really small town. Both parents worked so I had a key to let myself in the house. When I was in middle school as soon as I got home from school.I would grab my .22 rifle and hop on my Honda 4 wheeler an go back on the canals and shoot carp.

[@cjpietropinto9293]

My mom knew I wasn't home. She just didn't know which of our haunts we'd be at. The mall was my furthest, 5 miles away. Barely made it back before the street lights came on. 😅

[@homesteadgamer1257]

They will also never know how many near-death experiences a kid can have lol. WTF is adult supervision?

[@dro2000]

Sht, the street light raised me!

[@eagleclaw1179]

In Boston it was necessary 😂

[@creativenative218]

Exactly 💯

[@tracikillebrew9026]

Stop you bring up old ish..I'm not telling nothing today cus I don't feel like it ish 😂,🙏

[@dro2000]

@tracikillebrew9026 yaaaa thats bc the video we are commenting on is about that old ish :)

[@tracikillebrew9026]

That's right .off to new ish🙏🤣

[@UnApologeticPatriotPiontofView]

Straight facts my guy!! I was six years old when I sat at the bottom of the stairs in front of the door to protect the women in my family because the local state prison had an escape prisoner. And that was just my job as the only man in thehouse.!🎯💯

[@melissaharr1895]

Omg! Born in 1967. This is spot on. I have friends of my age and we wonder how we survived. We also think the younger generations are spoiled cry babies who expect to have everything handed to them.

[@no-stresscat1519]

It's because they are.

[@thedemocrat73]

_My mom had one rule don't let the street light beat your ass home_

[@cheryla.7682]

😂

[@misssly253]

I’m so old that I don’t even know how you italicized that comment on KZbin!!

[@Kate98755]

we had the street light rule…must be universal.

[@irishamericanpinupdoll]

That was the same for me! And if my dad had to go outside and whistle at a ridiculously high decibel for us to hurry home, we knew we were in trouble!! Where were you raised out of curiosity? I was in Orange County,CA then.😂

[@LunaLuBlackWolf]

This one right here

[@robertpatterson3108]

Talked about feelings every time mom got the belt. “This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.” When I said, “I call BS”, she made sure it turned out to be a lie.

[@majbrat]

My dad would say, do you want it before or after supper. He never did it angry and only 3-5 hits. I only got it twice, but my brother's got it more.

[@kirbyourenthusiasm]

I never got the belt and I only remember one spanking my dad gave me but I have ALWAYS remembered it and that was the point.

[@d_richter]

I don't know if I should be in awe of you, or terrified! I made the mistake of whispering WHILE I WAS FACING AWAY AND BENT OVER, "I find that hard to believe!" Oh, Maaan! I wasn't sure if that beating was ever gonna stop!

[@getjaynesmith4770]

Brave foolish man. Glad you made it.

[@trevorburbank9841]

Respect the belt

[@pamelacallahanhess6821]

Love being a Gen Xer .. We had the best childhood.. Outdoors and allowed to be kids. Loved it 💯.

[@pilotrt]

My parents had no clue as to where I was, and I stayed out of trouble, didn't disrespect the elders, and had a blast learning to be self sufficient.

[@amysmiles9751]

I definitely got away with more. No cell phone, no evidence. Thank God😂

[@cg4646]

I feel bad for kids and teenagers for this reason.. the stupid mistakes you make as a kid.. now kids will have reminders of all that stuff and they won’t be able to forget about it and move on 🥲

[@redsonya3088]

😂yeah 😂

[@LifeBetweenTheDash]

No cell phones but if the neighbor or the church lady caught you doing something wrong you got yelled out from them and then yelled out by your parents when you got home.

[@happybunny892]

Seriously - the biggest saving grace of our entire generation is that there's no evidence of the shenanigans we got up to, posted forever on the internet for everyone to see!

[@lajuanaraye]

Outside by 7 am daily. Was outside until 8 or 9 pm. Started babysitting when I was 9. Cooked first time when I was 8. Started working a job when I was 12. Walked in the dark when I was 6. Never once talked to my Mom about my feelings, that would surely bring trouble. I have tons of vet friends. I have wounds that should have been stitched but was told to "toughen up" so I did. I never ask for help, I was raised to do everything myself. I wish this generation could have experienced the freedoms we took advantage of.

[@MIA-re5jy]

Nearly ditto to most of your answers. I remember taking the bus at 11 across town just to go BABYSIT for my sister. 🤣 We walked to school (my feet got more mileage than a car) everyday, even on CRUTCHES! 😞 but I enjoyed it as long as I didn’t have to stay home! 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@SpodySpazable]

"oh shit, the street lights! I gotta go!" 😂

[@therarestphoenix5254]

Who remembers friends knocking on your door asking if you can come out to play only to be told that you're grounded and not allowed to go out?!? That was pure torture not being allowed to go out to play! 😂

[@JenJenANDChrissy]

I was taught how to drive a stick shift car at age 11 and did pretty well too. I was 10 when I started cooking dinners for my family because I had a single mother who worked nights. My older sister who was 11 served as a babysitter for me, my youngers sister who was 5 and my little brother who was 2. I had to get a job at 16 to buy my first car ($500 1971 VW what was 17 years old then). I had to figure out for myself (using books at the library), how to pay for college. I moved out of my parents' house at age 18. I was taught how to swim in the deep end of our pool by being thrown off the diving board and there was no one to catch me cuz my dad WAS ON THE DIVING BOARD WITH ME!! I'm tough as nails and I have accomplished hard things. I am GenX

[@marthaevans1311]

This!!!

[@Kate98755]

i started to do cooking a few days a week by at least 12…my mom hated to cook…i loved to eat….i’m a baby boomer

[@user-wq3lh2ob6r]

Gen Xers were the last generation that survived without being coddled. We were taught right about what to do and what not to do, respect for others, how to care for ourselves and others. We were well loved and knew it. When we reached adult stage we were prepared to enter the world and contribute unlike every generation afterwards who were unable to enter the world and contribute without extensive outside training. They also contributed to the higher crime rate and me generation problems!

[@MrEli768]

My 3 siblings and I were taught how to swim by being chucked out in the gulf of mexico, at age 5 (as we hit it, when we hit it) my uncle and dad took us out in a boat in the gulf, they drove out about 40 feet, and chucked us out in the water saying "see you back on land" while laughing and driving off. As soon as I was tall enough that I could see into the pot or pan while standing on a chair, I was cooking, around 4-5, but I was allowed to cook by myself when I didn't need a chair to see in them. My siblings and I were watching each other by the time my oldest brother was 5, and there's 4 of us, we're roughly 2 years apart. My siblings were working by 6, we shoveled snow, racked leaves, and cut grass, and we didn't have a snow blower, or a gas mower, we shoveled by hand, and our mower was one of those things that was a pain in the ass to push because even well greased, it didn't really move. We were all officially working for "the man" by at least age 15. College, what's that? We were all forced to be moved out of our parents house by 16

[@2late4date]

Feelings???😂😂😂 gave me a good laugh

[@irishamericanpinupdoll]

Right? I remember having an argument with my best friend in 6th grade and I cried all the way home and when I got there went in my room and cried for quite awhile. The only response I got from my mom was a sarcastic “it must have been VERY bad!!” She never asked me what was wrong or even knew why I was upset, but that was the response I got and after that I realized that feelings were not important in childhood in our generation

[@heatherlowe7330]

Isn't that a song by Offspring? 🎶Feeling, whoa oh oh feelings🎶

[@Rigorous_Storm]

"I'll give you something to cry about!"

[@prunellalefay]

The more of these I see, the more Im grateful for my parents. Yes they worked alot & the importance of independence was stressed But the sketchy stuff mentioned was stuff my friends did as young parents, we'd get a chuckle of familiarity out of it, because that was so common. But I will always be eternally grateful for the skills they instilled in us.Thanks Mom & Dad. You did it so much better than you ever guessed. 💯💙😸✌

[@hollypierce3076]

Ok you got us! We're the most independent generation! We don't need no parents to cook for us, and we left the house early, and wasn't home till the streetlights came on(unless you heard your parent whistle)! We truly were unhinged children! 😂😂✌🏻

[@jozettewilliams1532]

"Feeling" you did'n't have "feelings' til your parents told you, you can have "feelings". "I'll give you something you can feel"!😂

[@AbsolutelyNot86]

And don't forget “I’ll give you something to cry about”. 🤣

[@___LC___]

Feelings don’t pay the bills, neither does crying about it.

[@MichaelWrzesinski]

"talk about feelings with parents".. um NEVER! Had a good laugh with that one!

[@christinaburney5935]

Yeah, I got screamed at till Mom's voice cracked when I tried to talk to her about anything. And the only compliment I ever got I think I was 3 years old. I was playing in a dark hallway with my toys quietly and my cousin came over asking where I was the whole time when I walked out of the hallway. My mom gushed how good I was because I stayed in there and was quite. That was also the day my cousin taught me to tie my shoes because my mom couldn't be bothered to do that.

[@NickelSack79]

Hilarious, since Gen x’s kids are the most emotional kids ever.

[@pipinato]

I still can't... to this day, her response is "crying doesn't solve anything, stop it already "

[@christinaburney5935]

@@pipinato My mother's favorite line was to quit crying or she would give me a reason to cry. And she meant it.

[@cherylspencer8024]

Feelings . . . I'll give you feelings . . . as your mother gives you a dope slap to the back of the head.

[@tinaroberts5858]

Born in 1961. Babysat at 10. Got away with a lot until my mom found out. Never asked for help. Played outside all the time. Loved my youth!❤

[@deenabeauchamp5290]

I cooked my first big roast beef dinner for the family peeled mashed potatoes and home made gravy when I was 9. My dad even showed me how to use the electric knife ….. when I maneuvered it the wrong way he told me “ don’t be stupid, what’s wrong with you news coming on not taking you to hospital” I figured it out without cutting off my finger!!!!! I was taught you cook in a clean kitchen after dinner rinse all dishes hot soapy water first things wash glass ware , then cutlery, dishes then pots pans . Sweep and mop floor then DINNER IS DONE !!!!!

[@TheFith67]

We were basically treated like self reliant cats, as opposed to being treated like stupid dogs on a leash.🙏

[@DouglasRichardson-er4ky]

... dogs are superior to cats in terms of intelligence 🤔🐕💘

[@AriesBaller14]

​@@DouglasRichardson-er4kyActually, cats are considered more intelligent, but dogs are more easily trainable.

[@DouglasRichardson-er4ky]

@@AriesBaller14 I grew up with cats but once I became an adult rescue dog adoption has been one of the great experiences of my life onward. Dogs can sense and react appropriately to human emotion, horses and dolphins have been proven the same. Cats seem aware of human emotion but they don't react like dogs do. They're both a-ok cats have their up sides too. I had a bad@$$ Russian blue when I was young he could climb trees amazing athlete 🐈‍⬛

[@irishamericanpinupdoll]

This is a great analogy and very accurate

[@naturgrel]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Yes!

[@tammycornejo9155]

I lived the perfect Discovery of Life by being from the X Generation. We raised ourselves. We still do

[@barbaravargas2035]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊

[@idresufts5849]

I was considered a LatchKey kid, so you know I raised myself.

[@happynurse1062]

@@idresufts5849I think a ton of us were.

[@OldMovieFan1973]

Heck I think we're the only thing keeping the Nation going to be honest

[@BeeWhistler]

@@OldMovieFan1973 Speak for yourself. A lot of us are just kicking back with popcorn while it burns.

[@melissaflores3289]

My grandma always told me “ don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And if you do….dont get caught “… it was good advice.

[@jimbearone]

Age when I started cooking: 2 Years Old. Age when I first babysat: 9 Years Old (Everyday for 2 hours until Mom came home - occasionally overnight) Age when I walked by myself 10 blocks and across the street to the store and back: 7 Years Old. First time I shot a Gun: 12 Years Old. Age when we played outside: 2 Years Old - All Day until dusk. Never discussed ‘feelings’ never asked much for ‘Help’ but have often been asked for help.

[@rebeccacorbin1590]

You hit the nail on the head man. I was 5 when I walked to kindergarten by myself. And yes, a stranger in a car offered me a ride. I had enough sense to say no and ran over to a group of kids I didn't know. Never mentioned it to my parents.

[@heathertomlinson1961]

That happened to me on the way to school. I went straight there and told the nuns and my aunt who taught there. I was actually crying and quite distraught. They had to call mom from work and the cops ended up complimenting me to my mom on how much info I was able to give them. My dad was a cop in the army. 🤷🏼‍♀️ They caught the guy a month or so later when he tried it with another girl and actually got her in the car.

[@AmishNinjaMaster]

@@heathertomlinson1961 By speaking up a child, you saved that other little girl (and likely many other children) from potential life-changing horror.

[@deenabeauchamp5290]

Me too a couple Times

[@hiannahgus574]

I was a young girl walking home from early grammar school and a man stopped his car and told me that something bad happened to my father so he asked this man to pick me up. My father was dead, so I knew he was lying and a “bad man”, so I ran home as fast as my skinny little legs would carry me. It was never reported. I knew my mother had a lot of stress and didn’t want her to worry. I still hope he never got another little girl in his car. Grateful to still be alive.

[@KA-ui3sm]

This happened to me a number of times when I was little. Mom was a single parent and worked her butt off raising me and my brothers. So we were latch key kids. I’d usually walk to the bus stop by myself or with my brothers. One time there was a car parked near the bus stop. When I walked past he had his window rolled down and pretended to ask me for directions. What adult would need to ask a kid for directions? And another time when I had a creep follow me when I was walking home. When I noticed I was being followed, I ran as fast as I could. But instead of running to our apt, I ran to a neighbors house. After that incident I started carrying a knife with me to protect myself. Luckily back in 80s/early 90s, they didn’t have metal detectors in school. My angels def had their hands full keeping me safe when I was growing up. So grateful 🙏🏽

[@KC-mi6fb]

Whaaaaaa?? I was taking public transportation to and from school with a whole HOUSE KEY around my neck at 7! Lmaooo the memories!! 😂😂😂

[@reginafromrio]

My parents never KNEW the filth I got into when they were at work.

[@reneehouser2925]

13 riding a dirt bike behind the Minnesota Zoo! 😆🤣😂 68 model GenX here- love this woman!

[@ThatsaTechnicalFoul]

Sherri, you’re so gorgeous!!! First time holding a gun, I was 4. Climbed trees like Tarzan & could never remember how many fights I’ve been in. Always pretty disturbed when I hear how many new adults have never been punched in the face before! 😅 My daughter’s 29 & she’s never fought anyone. Our generation would say you don’t even know what you’re made of until you’ve been in a fight…and lost.

[@tonyamedsker213]

I felt that comment to my soul!!

[@tscimb]

Wait wait wait..... ALL GEN X ARE MANDALORIANS!!!

[@thealchemist333]

My friend and I as GenX were just laughing the other day about how it was normal to be up in the trees even as girls, we loved climbing trees and yes fist fights were normal. We even fought disrespectful boys and would win. 😂

[@helenepajot7744]

the first rule of the fight club is...

[@michellealjunaidi8471]

That's the reason we have self entitled people in the world. They never saw a fight or got punched in the face. Otherwise they wouldn't be out harassing other people for no reason.

[@heidievaning]

I was raised by veterans. I learned how to fend for myself and defend myself with honor.

[@Flowers4Everyone]

We played outside until the streetlights came on. That was the trigger to go home. We all had military in our families, and we were/are proud of that

[@HannesA-my3xp]

This video describes my childhood perfectly. All the adults in my family were veterans. Talking about feelings was taboo. We played outside side everyday, the whole day, until the streetlights came on and I got away with my crimes most of the time

[@asuniqueasthespellingofmyn1124]

That last one made me smile like the grinch😅 Being a GenXer is awesome🎉

[@colleen2864]

Yo, I'm a millenial and all of these answers hit with me. Cooking? Laundry, 5. Firearm, 8. Babysitting, 7-10. What are you doing today? Riding my bike around town until the street lights come on. Def got away with more. But it wasn't neglect, it was LIFE. Rural kids are still coming up like Gen X. ❤

[@creolecrazy8289]

I was born in 83 and I was raised in a Gen X home. We were tought firearm safety and their usefulness most of our childhood. We looked forward to deer season after our 10th birthdays.

[@gwendolyne5115]

Never talked about feelings, huge difference from the way other people are today

[@davidgilbert8614]

Right on. I remember the phrase, "Children are meant to be seen, not heard".

[@Imahermit666]

I'm 76 and I've talked about these things with young people. They think I'm lying.

[@isaackellogg3493]

If you’re 76 and calling yourself a Gen Xer-you _are_ lying!

[@Imahermit666]

@@isaackellogg3493 I actually call myself "Don". Others call me a boomer.

[@wingeddrake4227]

Many blessings upon your house, good sir.

[@tiggerdcat]

​@@Imahermit666 Roflmao! Don, you are a gentleman amongst wolves! May you live to be a thousand. Sleep well, and dream of large women.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@isaackellogg3493 The O.P. never CLAIMED to be Gen X, Just that they had the same experiences. Gen X is not ALONE in these experiences, Just that Gen X is the LAST generation to have had them. I'm technically a "boomer" and I understand the "silent generation" AND Gen X more than I do Millennials or Zoomers. for example.

[@enidnievescruz8780]

1980 baby here and I did all of the above! 😂😂😂😂😂 We are a dying breed! Shiiiiiittttttt....we are the folks you want on your side when shit hits the fan.

[@shoeghoul76]

The question about “Did you walk anywhere by yourself?” was comical because all I did was walk to places (or ride my bike). 😂

[@MaliaMydnight]

All of these questions were very direct, and I felt each one. 😂

[@justwinks1553]

There's always "shut up when I'm talking to you". And "what do you have to say for yourself?" Then not knowing what to say.

[@d_richter]

Don't forget "I DON'T KNOW IS NOT AN ANSWER!" and "WIPE THAT DUMB LOOK OFF YOUR FACE!"

[@justwinks1553]

@@d_richter sending u hugs

[@silentwhisperz7095]

As a fellow genXer.. I just want to say.. I dig the shit out of you. Love the way you keep it real.. 💯 😂

[@mariejasinski9467]

Walked to school every day starting in kindergarten, I was 4. Sent one day in a blizzard and a man brought me home, I knew my address! It wasn't till age 8 or so we had someone trolling the neighborhood for kids. We only had AC in a window so everyone slept downstairs, I always woke at dawn and often made omelets for my parents. Started baking on my own because my mom worked when parents divorced and I wanted brownies or cake! I was a pretty good kid but my sister got grounded and busted for underage drinking at 14. Thanks for the memories!! Its amazing the generations after us survived to adulthood! 😂

[@wandalovejoy4314]

Thank God there were no cell phones in our day!! 😂😂

[@wingeddrake4227]

with the app the gives your location away....

[@deannamauretic]

I’d still be grounded 😂

[@wandalovejoy4314]

@@deannamauretic me too!

[@legoyoshi7400]

So true I would have been in so much trouble.

[@tati001]

I remember that I spoke to the school counselor when I was in six or seventh grade. she asked me if I felt comfortable with sharing my feelings with my mother. I told her" my mother doesn't do feelings." She proceeded to advise me to write my feelings down in a note and just slip it under my mother door. well, about two minutes after that my mother proceeded to fling my bedroom door open. She had the note crumpled up on her hand and she threw it in my face. She said "if you got something to tell me you tell me to my face! " yeah, I definitely was not cuddled! 😂

[@robinbirdj743]

Sounds like all our moms

[@aa-hj2fd]

​@@MomeGnomeworked for us

[@ekinie3854]

​@@aa-hj2fd"worked for us" I'm sure it did and you don't have any lasting effects

[@aa-hj2fd]

@@ekinie3854 like what?

[@ekinie3854]

@aa-hj2fd most boomers can't talk about their feelings. they don't realise it but they have micro aggressions against their kids. they flip out over small things because they never learnt how to regulate their emotions. they lack empathy.

[@LiveTUNA]

I remember one time I broke my leg playing baseball. My dad came home from work as I was laying on the couch and said "how the hell did you break your leg playing baseball?" and then he punched me in the broken leg. He wasn't doing it to be abusive, he was making sure I wasn't faking it or over exaggerating. I ended up needing surgery which solved any question and silenced any doubt. I remember being so relieved when they told me that I needed surgery because even my dad had me doubting myself. You wouldn't be caught dead trying to milk an injury back then and you made sure your parents NEVER EVER heard you complain about pain because no doubt, they wind find a reason really quick to make you complain and that usually started with mowing the lawn or pulling weeds. My dad was tough and he always told us, the second you turn 15 you are getting a job and paying rent and buying your own things. My brother and I were handed job applications and rental agreements on our 15th birthday. Dad had one for Peter Piper Pizza and one for Sonic. I choose pizza and my brother picked Sonic. The one thing he didn't tell us is that the rental money we paid went into a secret savings he set up and when we had enough money in them he surprised us with cars. My brother bought a Jetta and I bought a K5 Blazer.

[@BiologyBabe]

I was 5 when I started cooking, I babysat my sister for the first time at 8, my parents were NEVER with me when I went anywhere walking, I first used a firearm at 14, I’ve been in 6 fistfights and the only one I lost was because 6 girls jumped my sister, and I wasn’t gonna make her do that on her own. I don’t care at all about other peoples opinions except the people I love… if you’re a stranger… whatever. Never talked about “feelings” because feelings don’t matter. Facts are what matters. Asking for help, I do this a lot because I recognize that others might have a better way of doing things, I know a lot of vets… and I respect them. We weren’t allowed to play inside the house unless the weather was REALLY bad, I’m not talking about rain, I’m talking about torrential downpour… and snow, that didn’t matter at all. Coddled? What’s that? My family always said if I looked stupid or acted stupid, they reserved the right to make fun of me. And I 100% got away with nearly everything. I was only caught twice.

[@collins9724]

So blessed to be part of a generation that experienced life as it should be. So grateful!

[@ValeriePallaoro]

Like your grandparents didn’t have ‘life as it should be’? Have a think about what you just said 🤔

[@TK-ij2xi]

I mean...we were mostly neglected because our parents had no fucking clue what they were doing. Not to be a whiny bitch but when we know better, we do better. My childhood was hell....BUT because I walked everywhere and cooked for myself - I was free. But then....40 years later healing begins and although it's beautiful, it sure would've been nice if I didn't have to do it.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

@@TK-ij2xi nicely pointed out. You write a good comment. 🎉🥰🎉

[@MIA-re5jy]

Yesssss cause THIS ERA SUCKS!!!

[@Grandma_Jizzzzzzzard]

Me too! We lucked out.

[@dgrcgrl]

One thing I know is that my dad always said, "feelings are worthless. Nobody cares about how you feel. Suck it up and move on."

[@ValeriePallaoro]

When you don’t have a father who cares. It was a long time till I figured out some people actually know how to care. I was always surprised that my mom said, ‘you know your dad loves you?’ Because he just didn’t. It wasn’t a problem. But when someone actually loved me? Whole different story.

[@janedoe6704]

Do you remember "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?"

[@Ninjanimegamer]

My dad told me to stop being a wuss, and stop crying. I sliced my shin open and needed 14 stitches at 3 y.o. I never again cried while he was home. My mom told me, if you cry, I'll beat you again, as blood dripped down my legs. (She whipped the backs of my thighs until she saw blood, and then she would get triggered to stop, but she didn't care I was bleeding. She didn't want blood on her floors). I haven't shed a tear in 50 year, and I cannot cry anymore. My tears have all dried up. My own child had asked me, why I never cry, but I look sad. I had to learn how to smile, and keep smiling.

[@melaninmonroe007]

How unhealthy. Feelings matter but they don’t control you.

[@dgrcgrl]

@Ninjanimegamer I hear ya. I broke my wrist in baseball at 11 years old and never shed a tear. I broke part of my knuckle off my right thumb in football. I played two more downs, came in and had coach wrap my thumb into a fist and the next series of downs proceeded to punch the opposing lineman for breaking my thumb knuckle. I wrestled in Jr high at a tournament with a broken rib. Never cried. I could go on fkr pages on all the times I got hurt and never cried. Just sucked it up and moved on.

[@ParkysPlace]

Q1 - 7 Q2 - N/A (I was the youngest) Q3 - We walked everywhere Q4 - 8 Q5 - At least 6 Q6 - We dgaf about opiions Q7 - Never Q8 - Never Q9 - Too many too count Q10 - 50/50 Chores always came before play Q11 - I wasn't Q12 - I got away with more than caught.

[@80sLadySportsMama]

I started driving an Econoline van when I was 11. I drove my drunk aunt around. It was such a great time! 😜

[@CT-nb5lm]

That last quest= PALEASE!!! It’s like 97% / 3% Most of us were smart enough to keep it on the DL. To this day!

[@milagrosrivera6919]

Exactly.

[@AzerinaM]

Facts! Being slick still serves us well 😂😂😂

[@thealchemist333]

Cooking 7 Babysat 11 Walked everywhere 8 fist fights No talk of feelings with parents My friend and I were just laughing about how it was normal to be up in the trees even as girls. Not only did we love climbing them, but we even had a tree house made out of a small camper. It had a little window that you could open and a small screen door. I remember eating little green crab apples and honeysuckle from the vines.. Those were the days

[@SheriHosale]

When you & your friend describe trees by whether or not they're good climbing trees, that's a sign of a good childhood. Loved crab apples, honeysuckles & wild blackberries. Not once did we ever make it back home with enough for a cobbler. Lol

[@thealchemist333]

@@SheriHosaleyes my childhood memories with friends was wonderful! parents not so much 😂

[@PaulMcJunkin-k4t]

As a boomer we raised the kids the way we was raised rough!!!

[@juliehill8292]

I was outside every day all day. Babysat on the regular by age 10. Had my first smoke at 8 and drank by 13. I remember only a few times that my feelings mattered butvI will also say this. I was absolutely loved by parents that cared about the person I would grow up to be. They gave me the ability to succeed or fail and be alright. Get up and go on . The will to find a way to provide for myself and get done what needed to be done. What amazing parents we had. Oh and I definitely got away with more than I got caught for.

[@mamariley1979]

Born in 1979 female walked to grocery store by myself 1985.. Slept out side in the front yard in Bakersfield California any summer day I wanted. Not a problem. Waited alone down the block for my school bus every morning If i got sick at school my mom would leave work dump me off at home hand me the thermometer, (never locked the doors) and she would head back to work to finish her shift, my father was a truck driver so he was gone all the time I never wore shoes in the summer not even in grocery stores or patking lots (my feet were black and burnt from pavement) running down the road from one shady spot to the next 😂 If I felt eerie "stranger danger" which was not a thing back then, I'd duck behind some bushes😂😂 to hide. My mother would allow me to swim in public pools and rivers🤮 I stayed outside all day I filled my snap set pool up and swam in the winter 😂 on Christmas with my barbies My parents weren't on drugs or alcohol I drank daily from the water hose. Pepsi was the best in long neck bottles and stubby bottles wrapped in thin styrofoam. Summers were Long and Hot in Bakersfield with no AC , door wide open running a crappy swamp cooler on the roof that i had to try to spray with a water hose to keep the pads wet which was pointless since kids were running in and out of the house all day. I took very hot baths every night in the middle of the night because running or skating around the block all day gives you terrible leg cramps😂. The 80's were so fun and carefree for a little girl running up and down the allies in Oildale Ca. Complete insanity 😂😂😂

[@BeeWhistler]

I'll never understand looking back on the 80s and thinking they were good. I miss some things but the whole decade was pure Hell.

[@boomerjamify]

I always thought Ohio summers were hot, growing up there in the 80’s and 90’s with no AC. But, now I live in Florida and realize we had it made up there!! lol 😂

[@cburn6691]

Summer was the best. We got to make our own tent out of sticks and blankets. We even made our own latrine. I'm not sorry that I got to live so free.. I'm sorry that they don't.

[@jakemidnight7458]

Our childhood was THE BEST! Did everything, and rarely got caught 😂

[@bryananthony2415]

I lived in lake Isabella, not far from Bakersfield. Don't really remember being in the house much except to eat, sleep & shower. As a kid I would go camping with my friends, no adults.

[@wendyfletcher6132]

Born in 1974-no gun, but my granddaddy made the most amazing slingshots carved from tree branches. They were beautiful, and I was a “sharp shooter” with one. We walked, yes, but I rode my bike mostly. Grew up in a small town, so we rode bikes everywhere. ❤

[@-Mike-69]

My parents always said they would never post bail. If I did something stupid enough to get arrested I was on my own. That was enough for me. The first time I got arrested I was 53.

[@TheOfficialPatriarchy]

Cooking as soon as I could stir a pot. By 9 yrs, raising my brother (2 yrs) full time, while mom worked as many double shifts as she could get. Walked downtown to deposit moms check and pay the bills for her 1st of every month. Also 1st time firearms. Fist fights: I plead the 5th; Don't care about other's opinions; I don't talk about feelings 'cuz I barely have any; I don't need help; Know tons of vets; Played outside every day; ..."Coddled"? Isn't that a type of fish?

[@nunyabiznis1156]

EVERY ONE of her answers were TRUTH! Next gen has no idea what we got away with, and we’ll never tell all.

[@leahtaylor4903]

And neither will video or pictures, I thank God ther was no video or pictures taken daily!!

[@Because-rt8qs]

If these kids these days would leave the house , they could get away with stuff too. 😂

[@Mary-cg1sl]

My brother and I roamed the neighborhood within a 2-3 mile radius (born 1970 and 1971). The only requirement my mom had was, "Tell me where you're going. If you change locations, come back to the house and tell me, be back within yelling distance when those street lights come on." Needless to say, no overweight children in the area cause we all had to get back to the house to report the new location before we headed out. We would be gone for HOURS at a time and it was 1976-1979, so 5 and 6 years old to 8 and 9 years old.

[@StretchingExercises-qg5rb]

Born ten years before you. Out the door by 8, no matter the weather, not allowed back in till supper except for pbj’ and Kool-aid at lunchtime and a change of clothes if we fell in the pond. No lie. NOBODY knew where we were. Or what we ere up to

[@judychurley6623]

True for us in the 50s and 60s, too.

[@ksisu1324]

​@@StretchingExercises-qg5rb That was also me. Amazing adventures!

[@danapb]

@@judychurley6623 our big brothers and sisters (at least in my case). Anyway, they taught me to ignore what mom said half of the time. You just had to know which half she was serious about

[@ingerknudson4297]

Be home by dark was our rule

[@glitchrabbit9306]

This reminded me that my first babysitting job was also at 8. I got paid to regularly watch the neighbors 3 year old for 2-3 hours after school twice a week. One week they had friends visiting so I was also left with a 6 month old baby.

[@patrickcarleton3924]

Got an afternoon to go over all these questions. As a Boomer I can say Gen X took the torch we passed and is carrying on proudly.

[@SpookyArtZ-]

whatever you say grandpa, now sit back down before you break your back

[@TheMaker88]

Every F'N DAY! Staying indoors was death sentence for us 😳!

[@fitnessfoodflow3785]

We weren't allowed to stay indoors!???!

[@karmellekouture17]

We absolutely did some MAJOR WILD SHIT!

[@hroberts7283]

And no video to prove anything ))

[@cruzinsweetsntreats]

And still doing it... In a different format 😂❤

[@Ninjanimegamer]

What any of us did that was bad, wasn't unusual. We normalized all of our delinquent behavior. We rarely were "in trouble", because no one cared enough to want to deal with us. Anything I saw, or participated in was, at the time, considered normal. It's strange how the world changed and now made everything we did illegal. We can't even talk trash, or tell yo mamma jokes without getting stopped by h.r., or the pc police. KZbin will block what I'm about to say...and this is the world we now live in.

[@appleoneill5135]

​@@cruzinsweetsntreatslove it!! x 😂

[@DR-mq1vn]

@@hroberts7283 Yep! We had wild times and did fun stuff, and no evidence to prove it, which is a good thing! These youngsters are stupid for posting their whole lives on line.

[@Thetyedyegypsy]

Ran around with our own spanky and our gangs barefoot , survived on a box of Ritz , hubba bubba gum and a Dr pib

[@disturbedpyro4511]

Born in 83, not GenX but grew up like Gen X here’s my answers to his questions 1. 7 2. 10 3. EVERYWHERE! my bike as well 4. 8, my great grandfather’s shotgun!😂 5. 2, I’m a lover not a fighter 6. Not at all!!😂😂😂 7.my mom always in my business and I was always comfortable sharing my problems and feelings with her . My dad was like my best friend at times so we bonded big time. 8. I don’t mind accepting help and admitting to needing help, I just don’t like to ASK for help because I hate inconveniencing others if I don’t really need to 9.Too many, and some are no longer alive 10. All day, I wasn’t allowed to come inside until dinner was ready! 11coddled what does that mean? Is that like coddled milk or something? 12 definitely got away with more, but I wasn’t much of a troublemaker anyway. I had a bad knack for trespassing into abandoned buildings though 😂😂

[@elinapereira1433]

As a gen x-er, the whole "how often did you talk to your parents about your feelings?" question hit me DEEP! Not only was that NEVER, it went so far as, when I had to separate from my husband at the age of 26 with a two year old , and moved home, (I had two jobs, sold Avon and I was going to school at night to keep me going in the right direction and to get myself and my child back out of that house ASAP) My parents sat me down, after moving back , to tell me that my CRYING (as I processed my husband's drug addiction, mental abuse and threats, and having to accept the end of my marriage and future plans) was upsetting them! So, this latch key kid bottled up her feelings even more. It resulted in me clamping down so hard on my emotions, that instead I would wake up from a dead sleep actually crying in the middle of the night. This happened quite a bit. But at least I didn't get any noise complaints from my parents after that. In contrast my nine years younger sister lost her dog to some rather tragic veterinarian negligence, and she was allowed to go into a depression, seek counselling, and cry all she needed to. Coincidentally that dog passed the night BEFORE I was to undergo an open abdominal myomectomy, to remove 3 tumors from my uterus, with a huge complication rate, but had to just keep MY ANXIETY and FEAR in check, because of this new Family tragedy.

[@yvonnem6361]

Yep I know what you went through for the part( as to hold back your emotions but your siblings got away with crap and you didn’t) most people that actually get to meet my family and then they get know what I went through when I was a kid say ( wow they are lucky you still talk to them!)

[@elinapereira1433]

@@yvonnem6361 I am working on my detachment issues. I have a tendency to self-isolate, because that is how I survived. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

[@Adoptedbymydog]

Wow!! Sounds like you have an extremely toxic family! I don’t know you but I do know that nobody deserves that. If it were me, I would completely cut ties and try to salvage every bit of sanity and self worth I was able to build around them, and I would distance myself as far away physically and figuratively as possible. Just because someone is “family “ doesn’t mean you need to have them in your life.. I pray that you are able to heal from this and find true Love and happiness!✌️❤️

[@KalBuir]

Some of us feel your pain. But we didn't go catatonic and drop out of society, we worked our way through it and took responsibility for ourselves.

[@juliadobosz545]

As a latch key kid I was treated the same. Only my older sister was and is the golden child and at 5 yrs old I was told why I was "just not thought of sometimes," because I am a rape mistake. So I also pushed my feelings down so far that even in my 10yr marriage he has to remind me that my feelings matter and that he's got my back. I hope you, and your baby are doing better. Keep going. Us latch keys are feared FOR A REASON. Remember that. We latch key women are terrifying and ferocious. Keep your claws out and your roars loud.