A segment on CBS Sunday Morning really pissed me off. It covered “Today’s Grandparents” who apparently are *very involved * in the daily lives of their grandchildren - even going so far as to provide childcare! One of the reporters had even written a book about being a grandmother, so we can all benefit from her ground-breaking insights.
Seriously, grandparents have done this for generations. I guess CBS thinks baby boomers invented it. The whole thing reminded me of gushing interviews you see of celebs when they become parents (" It’s changed my whole life! You can’t believe what it’s like!")
with the caveat that I haven’t seen the segment you’re referring to, by your description I think a lot of it has to do with the US having to realize it’s no longer the culture and powerhouse it was immediately post WWII. Back then we were a manufacturing juggernaut especially because other nations were busy just picking up the pieces from WWII, so it became expected that once you were 18 you got a decent paying factory job, got out of the house, and started a family.
Those days are gone, and we’re (slowly and grudgingly) going back to the multi-generational family living situation. It’s getting press mostly because the people who were raised back in the heyday of the US (the Boomers) are grandparents now and they’re seeing this shift happen before their own eyes.
It all seems so familiar somehow.
Its always this way, yesteryears generation were total knuckle dragging droolers who were lucky to be able to rub two sticks together to make fire (inspite of daily life to the contrary regardless of the era…mostly:cool:) and this years generation [del]re[/del]discover all these neato things for the first time in the history of the world ever!!!
10, 20, and 30 years from now, somewhere there will be a news/talk show piece about “Today’s Grandparents” or “Today’s kids…” or whatever.
So what’s your point? I’m gonna guess you’ve seen this happen at least once before in your life, I have.
My point is it kinda pissed me off but it’s too lame for a pit rant.
Here’s another one. Periodic talk show segments about “Women in the Workplace” that suggest flex time or working from home. For every corporate lawyer, there’s at least a dozen women in the service industry, who have to be at Walmart or Shoney’s when they’re scheduled.
I guess I’m ranting about the American media’s blindness to how the average American lives.
well, ok, I’m less apathetic to being frustrated with general media blindness to the average American life. But the specific one about “today’s kids/grandparents/blah blah blah” is so cyclical that … meh/shoulder shrug … can I go to bed now?