"When I was young...."

Conversation at the nail salon is always endless. Usually someone becomes a Dr. Phil with a full on audience listening to a panel of venting patrons getting pedicures. The topics flip back and forth between news, politics, Hollywood gossip, travel and kids. It was one of these afternoons that I heard one of my dreaded statements "Oh the kids these days..." The next dreaded statement followed closely behind with "oh when I was young...." When was that?? 50 years ago, or in other words 5 DECADES ago? 50 years ago, the cell phone was not invented, Neil Armstrong had not landed on the moon and John Lennon was still alive! Yes, it's been that long. I for one am quite happy that the kids are not doing the same things we did when we were young. It means we've evolved, changed, moved with the times. "The only thing that is constant is change ~ Heraclitus"

Kids "these" days can do homework, watch TV, snack and text all at the same time with accuracy may I add. They are champions at multi-tasking. They figure out the latest tech tool or social media app the minute it hits the masses. They navigate through a ton of distractions, peer pressure (like we have never experienced and would not want to), the latest trends of dos and don't and rapidly changing social scenarios at school and come out alive. They are navigators, story-tellers, tech gurus, sponges and social media hounds. Thank goodness they are not like us when we were young. They wouldn't last a day in today's school and social jungles if they were!

• Change is good. It's inevitable and constant. Don't get too comfortable, just get ready to move.
• Try not to judge. I say try as it's human nature to do just that. Just try not judge and be open to change and the possibilities of life in 2013. It will not be the same as 19... (I'll let you fill in those blanks).
• Kids "these" days have no room for error. One bad text message or comment can impact their entire life negatively for a very long time. Unfortunately, some of them never recover from it!
• Kids "these" days are just as wonderful as we were. They are just different, just as we were to our parents. It's called the circle of life, aka evolution.

So next time you want to say "oh the kids these days" or "when we were young" stop and think of how long ago that was and the numerous amounts of possibilities, inventions, events that have occurred since then and embrace the way of life today as a result of that history!