Boomer & Gen-X Kids Learned 5 Unwritten Social Rules By Age 10 That Most People Today Ignore
Multishooter | ShutterstockBoomers and Gen Xers had much more independence when they were kids. In fact, by the time they were 10, they were expected to follow unwritten social rules that dictated everyone's behavior, including adults.
Social expectations aren’t strict rules as much as they’re general guidelines for how people should act. Without being written down, some people, especially in the younger generations, pay no attention to them if they even know about them at all. That's not necessarily a good thing.
The unwritten social rules boomer and Gen X kids learned by age 10 that young people completely ignore today:
1. Respect whoever is in charge
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Boomers and Gen X were raised to be respectful to their elders. They weren’t allowed to talk back to them or casually break their rules without punishment. That’s not always the case with the younger generations, though.
Many boomers especially blame kids for being less respectful nowadays, but it's not entirely their fault. They weren't raised with this idea ingrained in their heads like the older generations were. And while respect is important, blind respect and obedience, especially in a power dynamic between kids and adults, isn't.
2. Look people in the eye and speak when spoken to
It's an unspoken rule that people should be engaging when they're talking to someone else. Gen Z ignores this because they have less experience with face-to-face interactions. They've become accustomed to chatting with their friends online, where good conversational skills aren't as important.
Online, people can think through their response and don't have to keep up with the energy of the person they're talking to. Boomers and Gen X didn't have the same chance to socialize without being in the same room as someone when they were kids. They practiced talking with adults from a young age, and it's helped them become good conversationalists without even trying.
3. Always practice good table manners
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Table manners were another thing that was heavily emphasized by the parents of boomers and Gen X. My grandmother was such a stickler for table manners that she would tap my mom’s arm with her fork if she had her elbows on the table. The punishment helped my mom learn really quickly that she had to have good table manners.
Because her mother was so strict about it, my mom didn’t always want to be as forceful when teaching me about table etiquette. It’s something a lot of people in older generations want to change when raising their kids.
As a result, a lot of Gen Z ignores table manners altogether because they don’t think they’re relevant. They think keeping your elbows off the table or using the correct fork for a dish is outdated.
4. If you work hard, you'll have success
Boomers and Gen X were both more work-centric than the generations that followed. Boomers grew up in a post-war environment, so resources were limited, and so were jobs. By the time they were 10, they knew they had to work as hard as possible to have any chance of success.
Gen X understood this lesson from an early age, too. They prioritized work-life balance more, but they still associated success with hard work. They mostly lived by the idea that if they worked hard and succeeded, they could play hard, too.
Gen Z thinks you can achieve success in a much healthier way. They're less likely to push themselves to work until they collapse because they prioritize their mental health. They don't think success at the cost of their personal well-being is worth it.
5. Staring is rude
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The Gen Z Stare is something many people in older generations complain about. People in my generation tend to seem like they’re totally unfocused whenever they're talking to someone. Sometimes they’ll even accidentally stare at other people they don’t know, too.
Boomers and Gen X know this makes people uncomfortable. They were taught not to stare and were probably reprimanded by their parents if they did. They learned to stop that behavior early on, while younger generations still do it well into their adulthood.
Younger generations ignore the lesson because they don’t even realize they're doing it. The Gen Z Stare comes from us being overwhelmed with information. When people overload their brains, it's hard to then add new information about whether they're being polite and not staring. They choose to ignore it to avoid getting even more burnt out.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
