generations

First the boomers were nudged from the media spotlight by millennials, the largest and most diverse generation. And who can argue that our adult children have made an indelible imprint on how we live, work and play.

Part of the promise of the American Dream is that each generation will do better than the last. Has that happened with our adult children, the millennials? Well, “yes and no,” reports the U.S. Census Bureau. Our children are better educated as a generation, yet more are living in poverty and they have lower rates of employment.

A friend who supervises interns recently complained about a young man she gave an assignment to one morning. When she passed his desk a few hours later, he was surfing the Web. His explanation: assignment complete so he was taking a break. Argh!

A friend recently shared some news: His youngest child, a successful professional, was getting married in September, finally. Did he approve of the nuptials? "She's 32," he answered in a deadpan manner. "I'm just happy she's getting married." While the boomer father liked his future son-in-law, the young couple had been living together for a few years. Dad had expected them to get married a lot sooner. What were they waiting for?

George Takei understands the evolution of his popularity. As Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek TV series, he made fans of his own generation and they "raised their kids right" to form the next generation of Trekkies. Now, having made himself something of a social media rock star, Takei reaches all demographics.

[ View the story "Invasion of the Facebook Snatchers?" on Storify]

"Are you sure?" I asked my uncle. I looked around the basement and waited for the catch.

You may not be surprised to hear this, but while 18- to 29-year-olds are split about 50-50 on texting their parents (versus calling), three-quarters of their parents would rather talk on the phone than send texts back and forth.

With Mother's Day around the corner, let me add my praise for mothers. I applaud the efforts every mother makes to try to ensure their children live a well-balanced life. I also applaud aunts and grandmothers too, as more and more it takes a village to raise Millennials!

Bad drivers.