Rewind to my childhood, and it’s clear that my taste in music diverged significantly from my mother’s. While she was lost in the soulful crooning of Dan Hill—who could forget the lines, “Sometimes when we touch / The honesty’s too much”?—I was busy wearing out my copy of Bread’s “If” on an 8-track. She once thought the Beatles were a bit too intense. Yes, THE BEATLES. By the time I hit my early teens, my mom wasn’t side-by-side with me, tuning into U2’s War and declaring, “That Edge solo is everything!”
Fast forward to today, and parents are regularly chatting with their elementary-aged kids about the latest trends:
- “Can you add ‘Shake It Off’ to our Sunday playlist?”
- “Sure, just let me finish this level!”
- Five minutes later, the back-and-forth escalates. “Time to turn off the iPad!”
- “But I’m close to leveling up!”
- “How many times do I have to say it? Hand it over!”
- “Mom, it’s MY turn!”
It’s amusing—my mother plays Candy Crush, I play it, and even my young kids are in on the action. And have you tried Tiny Thief? So much fun! Phineas & Ferb is genius, and I wouldn’t mind being pals with the Ninjago crew. I confess, I enjoy Taylor Swift, and I know all the lyrics to Frozen and Matilda—not because of some sort of coercion but because I genuinely want to. My kids even have a little dance routine to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” They’re also fans of Beck, Arcade Fire, and Beyoncé.
So, with 8 being the new 15 and 40 being the new 13, it’s fascinating that my interests overlap with my children’s. But this raises a question: As parents and kids share the same cultural references, are we really just growing younger, or are they maturing faster?
Every now and then, I wonder if us adults are fighting a losing battle against our own mortality, clinging to relevance. We’ve become the proverbial elderly person in a miniskirt—desperately trying to hold on while eclipsing our children’s uniqueness. They’re evolving into a generation that speaks like Stewie from Family Guy and wears skinny jeans over diapers.
If the youth and their parents are all into the same post-apocalyptic vampire novels and playlists, what will our teens have that’s uniquely theirs? The classic teenage rebellion of hating their parents for being out of touch—can they still experience that if we’re all at the same Katy Perry concert together? It’s as if the social order has been flipped upside down: What will they share in therapy years from now? That Mom was better at Minecraft?
I can’t predict how this will shape my kids, but I can reflect on how it has impacted me. By my age, my mother was liberated—she could revel in her 70s music, throw on sweatpants, and no one would bat an eye. In contrast, today’s parents are expected to be not just responsible, but also “cool.” I need to strike a balance between looking like I care and not trying too hard—Tom’s flats over wedges—and comfort is no longer king.
The stakes are high. In the past, a parent playing video games was the quirky uncle; now it’s just Dad. Today’s children are savvy, keeping us on our toes, while we adults are finger-tapping our way through pop culture. We’re part of their world—just enough to seem relatable, but not too much to lose our credibility. Are we 40-somethings insecure about our place in the world, or is it simply a fantastic time to be young?
You might argue that this is a dilemma of my own creation. My kids shouldn’t even be on the iPad, and I shouldn’t care about fashion or music. But I enjoy being connected and sharing experiences with them. Pop culture is sharper, more clever than ever, and we have a wealth of options at our fingertips. Why let the kids have all the fun? And besides, if I’m on level 400 and they’re still struggling at level 296, they have no right to that tone of mockery!
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Summary:
As parents and children find common ground in music and culture, the lines blur between youthful rebellion and parental relevance. With the rapid evolution of interests, the definitions of age and maturity seem to shift, prompting us to question our roles and the unique experiences of our children.
Keyphrase: cultural overlap between parents and children
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