Keepin' it 100

 

I am a proud member of the millennial generation, less commonly known as Generation Y.  Born in 1991, I sit somewhere in the middle of the generation, which spans from 1981 to 1996.  When you read about the millennial generation, I find that a few things stand out.

  1. Millennials are mainly the children of Baby Boomers
  2. We came of age with the internet in the 90s-2000s; Most of us didn't have cell phones until 7th or 8th grade.  We remember dial up-internet & often cringe when looking back at how we used Facebook in high school.  Most of our computer and video games had educational elements.
  3. We also have lived through a number of once in a lifetime global events, namely:
      1. Creation of the Internet (mid to late 90s)
      2. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks of 2001 - I was in 2nd or 3rd grade.
      3. Hurricane Katrina (2005)
      4. 'The Great Recession" (2007-2008)
        1. Student Debt Crisis
        2. Housing Market Collapse
      5. 1st Black President (Obama - 2009)
      6. Gay Marriage Legalized (2015)
      7. Trump Elected (2017)
      8. COVID Pandemic (2020)
      9. Capitol Riots (2021)
      10. Spike in Mortgage Rates (2024/2025)
While most generations do go through their own respective slew of unprecedented times, it seems to me that my millennial generation may have lived through some of the most transformative.

Our parents, Baby Boomers, came into existence closely following the end of World War II.  It was a prosperous time, with our country throwing money around like confetti, in the hopes of rebuilding post-war.  This lasted about 20ish years, settling in the 1970s, as another recession approached.  The Baby Boomer generation was able to push social progress, such as women's rights (at least they got it started... we still have a long way to go....) and public health.  Vaccination programs began to sprout during the time of the Baby Boomer, helping to treat otherwise debilitating or deadly diseases such as measles and whooping cough that were killing numerous children in this time.

I say this about Baby Boomers because it's important to understand that each generation was molded partially by their circumstance.  Most in our parents' generation didn't grow up with a television in their house, or their family would have one TV that everyone would gather around after dinner to watch live cable, the only option at the time.

I have been known to say that I am actually quite happy that the Millennial generation didn't have cell phones or internet in our most formative years.  We had to play outside, use our imagination or read books for entertainment.  I also remember educational computer games fondly -- these games were often a reward for good behavior, but I learned a lot from playing them too.  

I recently read an article about how games, in particular, have shifted from the 90s/2000s to today.  This article, spoke about how there was real satisfaction felt when a child in the 90s would complete a video or computer game level.  Games in that time encouraged failing and trying again and again until you could finally overcome whatever hurdle was put in front of you.  Nowadays, it seems like games are offering youth an "out".  Stuck on a level?  You can now pay just $1 to advance past that problem.  The article describes games today as giving children 'junk food dopamine', training kids to crave constant stimulation and learn that they can just pay their way out of an issue, or look for cheat codes on Google.

I distinctly remember struggling with some levels of the games I so loved in my youth.  Yes, it was incredibly frustrating to have to keep repeating the same level, trying different methods and still failing.  But, as I said above, the payoff was a huge sense of accomplishment, bolstered by all of my effort being validated.  The games I played had clear beginnings and endings, whereas now games seem to have no end.  Even my husband has found himself lost in a game, where he occasionally has played the whole evening and sees the clock at 1 or 2 am when he finally looks up to stop.

The last conclusion from this article stated it quite well - 'Nineties games are a challenge for building your skills.  Today's games are often a test for your psychological resistance.  A great deal are built to track, exploit, and addict'.

As a millennial, I do feel that my own generation now finds itself slipping into addiction with social media some days.  It's frustrating to me that technology continues to be built to be addicting, often preying on the malleable minds of youth.  Those technology companies haven't given up on older generations though.  We've seen an uptick in nostalgia in marketing messages, often showing items from the 90s and 2000s.  Marketers aren't done with us millennials.  They know that many of us are struggling to make a name for ourselves, and that the path to success looks different than it did for our parents.  We have jobs and some disposable income, but many of us can't afford to buy homes.  We yearn for the simpler times of our childhood and remember when the internet didn't bring everything to our fingertips so easily.  We've lived through a lot and can't help but place value on high productivity.

I know there are days that I personally will avoid the news, fearing more negativity and strife.  It's unclear who can be trusted, and most sources are biased anyways.  While this may not be the perfect plan, we are all trying our best to find a balance of incoming data, personal values and a direction we can believe in.

I know I've also been thinking a lot about how I want to raise my own children.  I hope to bring the positive pieces from my own childhood, and those good examples I've seen from other friends into the mix.  I also have been noticing tactics that I've seen that I don't agree with.  It's all about choices, and unfortunately there will always be someone out there who wants to tell you that you're doing something wrong.  I hope to be in a place where I can trust my gut by the time any child of mine arrives.

As 2025 has just come to a close, I've also been reflecting on the pros and cons of the year.  The Christmas holiday was bittersweet for me this year.  I got to spend about two weeks in Florida with my immediate family.  My husband, my parents, my brother & sister in law, her mother and my great Aunt, Arlene.  The highlight, however, was the time I got with my 4 year old nephew and twin nieces (1.5 years old).

There were many moments of joy, often reflected through the wide eyes of the children.  But, there were also many darker moments.  I was talked AT by many in my family, each having opinions on who I am, where my life is going, and what they thought about those things.  Much of this talk was accusatory, harsh and hurtful.  I wanted to leave pretty soon after arriving.

I've spoken before about the lofty standards which I have held for myself personally.  I think the expectations that my family have of me are even higher.  Yet, at present, it feels like none of them have any confidence in my ability to accomplish anything.  Suffice to say, I ended 2025 at a pretty low point.

I'm not sure that I have too much optimism for 2026 right now.  I'm trying to work through the many swirling thoughts that come and go, as my brain seems to always be in overdrive lately.  I'm sad to say that I miss the ability to find some empty mindedness by using medical marijuana.  I haven't been using that, as it's not recommended for those trying to conceive.  I've noticed that this, also unfortunately, has meant an increase in the general pain I feel on a day to day basis.

There was one day over the holiday where I was in a great deal of pain and didn't have much that I could do to escape it.  I was making cut out butter cookies with my nephew on this day because I had promised him that we would make some.  I couldn't really hide my pain even from him, as I had to lay down on the couch after our baking adventure (and me doing the cleanup).  He asked me what was wrong and I tried to explain that I had some pain that was flaring up.  He couldn't possibly understand, but he sweetly brought me an ice pack and kept checking in every so often to see if the ice had helped (& therefore I would be able to come play with him again).

Much of the holiday season this year felt similar to me - a bit of grinding my teeth and just getting through it.  As the name of this post suggests, it was a practice in trying to 'Keep it 100'.  Regardless of what was going on with me, mentally or physically, I was trying to outwardly remain neutral... festive even.  To be fair, I'm not sure how successful I was... but what more could I do.

This also happens to be my 100th blog post here.  Not sure that I have a goal for any set number, but it's been a journey so far.

<3 Vicky









  





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