Generations

Mother’s Day seems appropriate for a very off topic post.  Blogging gives me great joy.  It’s therapeutic, I get to pontificate about all sorts of things.  When I’m on, I get to learn from my readers, whose comments often provide much more insight than my posts.

However recently, unbeknownst to me, I learned that my parents were great fans of my blog, reading it regularly.  I know they knew I blogged, but I had never told them the URL, or anything about how to find it.  Somehow, they navigated Google, found the blog, navigated the complexities of RSS feeds, discovered readers and now subscribe and regularly read the blog.

I first learned this when I got an email from my mom.  She commented on some post, wanting to express her opinion about the topic.  Somehow, she was a little embarrassed about commenting on the blog post itself, she said, “I didn’t think you would want my comment to be seen by everyone.  I also didn’t think it was appropriate for me to end my comment with ‘I’m so proud of my little boy!’”

Mom still won’t comment directly on the blog, but she sends me regular emails with her view on many of the topics I write about.  While I value everyone’s comments, hers I treasure.  Frankly, I kind of like her emailing comments, it’s my private conversation.  It is so rewarding to me to know they read and like the blog.

I’m amazed with my parents.  They struggle with computers and technology, but they are constantly learning.  They are part of the Facebook generation, friends with all the grandkids, and many other people.  They read every imaginable news feed, many blogs and keep current with things.  My mom even texts on her mobile phone.

However, sometimes we have amusing moments—there are some generational gaps.  A few posts ago, I lamented about the problems with my router.  A few days ago, I got home and found a package from my Dad.  It was his neatly boxed, Craftsman Router—the woodworking kind, with his collection of sharpened bits.  He put a note in the box—“Saw you were struggling with your router.  Borrow mine for as long as you need it!”  We had a great laugh—“Dad, it’s not that kind of router.”

We deal with generations everyday—Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y.  Too often, we focus on the differences.  Some generations proudly saying they are the best, others saying the others just don’t get it.  We have so much to learn from each other.  We need to be open, listen, learn, experiment.

My parents experiment, they are learning and adopting the tools of the younger generations.  They are active in social media, leveraging the web.  I am so proud of them and what they teach me.

The one thing they are struggling with is, they think Twittering is for the birds.  Frankly, I don’t know if that is an informed opinion or whether we have another one of those generational light moments.