Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I always laugh when people act like the time from the 1900's to 1960 sex before marriage just suddenly came to a standstill. People back then had sex like they did today, without the protections of birth control. All the stories you here about your grandmom marrying at 15 or your aunt having to 'go away' for awhile' for almost a year show you that.
The difference today is the length of time between sexual maturity and the typical age of marriage. 100 years ago, girls matured, sexually, around age 16 and were, likely, married off within a year either way. Today they mature at 11 and don't marry until 25.
I recently had a conversation with someone whose field of study was gerontology, the study of aging, and we were discussing how my son who is 25 years old seems to be exhibiting adolescent behavior. She said that was interesting because her studies they said that today, mid-20's is the "new" adolescence. As I thought it through, it makes a lot of sense as I remember the 70's versus the presence and what she was saying seemed to be on target. I don't understand why it is happening though but I think it is wearing the parents out, aging them quicker, with the kids remaining kids much longer.
I recently had a conversation with someone whose field of study was gerontology, the study of aging, and we were discussing how my son who is 25 years old seems to be exhibiting adolescent behavior. She said that was interesting because her studies they said that today, mid-20's is the "new" adolescence. As I thought it through, it makes a lot of sense as I remember the 70's versus the presence and what she was saying seemed to be on target. I don't understand why it is happening though but I think it is wearing the parents out, aging them quicker, with the kids remaining kids much longer.
Yes, I've always wondered if "emerging adulthood" was a product of recent generations or if it's always been this way, that people even back then weren't fully prepared to handle life competently until close to the age of 30. On one hand, if there's some biological changes that simply do not develop until that time, that's pretty strong evidence that emerging adulthood has always been the reality; we're just now beginning to see it. On the other, your place in your social world and feeling of competence can form or erase some of the physical connections in your brain. Maybe it's possible a person's brain can be fully developed by the age of 18, though many of the scientists and psychologists today might disagree.
I always laugh when people act like the time from the 1900's to 1960 sex before marriage just suddenly came to a standstill. People back then had sex like they did today, without the protections of birth control. All the stories you here about your grandmom marrying at 15 or your aunt having to 'go away' for awhile' for almost a year show you that.
Well, that's what they wanted us to believe growing up! I remember when I came across my grandmother's wedding announcement clipped from the newspaper in a box of old pictures and realized she'd gotten married seven months before my mother was born. That was in 1928. I just looked at that sweet little religious old lady and said "hmmm".
Both my grandchildren had clock worksheets in kindergarten and first grade and my granddaughter learned cursive in 2nd grade (grandson is only in first grade, so he has not learned that yet)
Some of the schools are dropping cursive writing/penmanship, though. It's been in the news off and on over the past year or two.
Well, that's what they wanted us to believe growing up! I remember when I came across my grandmother's wedding announcement clipped from the newspaper in a box of old pictures and realized she'd gotten married seven months before my mother was born. That was in 1928. I just looked at that sweet little religious old lady and said "hmmm".
There were a LOT of "7 month" babies back then--people presented them as "premature" .
There were a LOT of "7 month" babies back then--people presented them as "premature" .
Even better, I discovered that my paternal grandmother's two oldest sisters were half-sisters. I found my g-grandfather's will, and he didn't mention the two oldest great-aunts and I asked my father about it. He said g-grandmother Hendrika came here from Holland with two kids and them met my g-grandfather and married him and had 7 more. The story goes that she was a maid in the home of a man who had a sick wife. My grandmother insisted her mother had to have been raped by her employer. And stayed around after she gave birth to the first kid? Could happen, I suppose...
Also, my sister, who is doing the family research, was having trouble finding a marriage date for a g-g-grandfather on the maternal side. Found the birth of his three kids, but not the marriage. Finally she realized they'd gotten married AFTER the kids were born, because he had another wife back in Holland and it took a while to get a divorce.
How much of this saying though I wonder is people not letting go of the past. I see a lot of comments about kids these days can't sew buttons, can read time on analog clocks etc. How is that relevant anymore? You don't need those skills for the most part in this day in age. I mean I don't have to use a paper dictionary anymore like my parents did, nor do I HAVE to wash my dishes by hand if I choose not to. My grandparents knew how to make clothes from scraps and bread without a recipe. Our generation needs no such skills. Its simply evolution of technology. The whole "you won' always have a calculator on you" from your high school math teacher is irrelevant now, at any given time I have several on me that can calculate a simple tip for me perfect at any percentage rate. We're not idiots for not using paper or pens we just simply grew up with better more advanced technology
How much of this saying though I wonder is people not letting go of the past. I see a lot of comments about kids these days can't sew buttons, can read time on analog clocks etc. How is that relevant anymore? You don't need those skills for the most part in this day in age. I mean I don't have to use a paper dictionary anymore like my parents did, nor do I HAVE to wash my dishes by hand if I choose not to. My grandparents knew how to make clothes from scraps and bread without a recipe. Our generation needs no such skills. Its simply evolution of technology. The whole "you won' always have a calculator on you" from your high school math teacher is irrelevant now, at any given time I have several on me that can calculate a simple tip for me perfect at any percentage rate. We're not idiots for not using paper or pens we just simply grew up with better more advanced technology
No, you don't need to know how to quilt or grind your own corn.
But if your button falls off and you've got a job interview in half an hour, it might behoove you to know how to perform that simple task. I fail to see how technology assists you there. Or is there now a "sew-on-a-button" app that I haven't heard of?
I suppose your argument is that since you have a phone with you that can tell you the time, you don't need to know how to read an analog clock. True. But they are still in use in most places, and if someone asks you what time it is and you can't tell by looking at the clock, you appear, well, rather stupid.
I have to wash my dishes by hand. I don't have a dishwasher. I could spend the money and get one, I suppose, but washing dishes is not that onerous a task for me.
Your last sentence reminds me of a story I saw in a local newspaper. Kids were trying to have a lemonade stand but the printer they were using to create their sign wasn't working and the sign was unreadable. They tried several times, and finally a lightbulb went off over one's head and he said, "Hey! We could DRAW a sign!" An intelligent boy, a remarkable boy.
It's like anything else. I guess if the technology fails at any given moment, those who can survive, will, whether it's a life-threatening situation or just an inconvenience. It's also a matter of how much one wants to keep the brain sharp. Calculators have been around for eons, but I still do basic arithmetic in my head, if possible, or on paper if not. It just makes sense to do so the same way it makes sense to walk sometimes to places that are only short distances away rather than drive just because you have a car.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
Could happen, I suppose...
