Jan 14, 2018 5 min read

My wife and I were born weeks apart in September 1951. We are baby boomers. This term encompasses the 76 million American children born between 1946 and 1964, without a doubt the most influential population explosion in our nation’s history.

It seems a miracle my wife and I have made it this far. Many of the mothers who brought us into the world smoked and drank with abandon. I was raised on gallons of unpasteurized milk from the local dairy farmer. Meals consisted of meat and potatoes, seven days a week. The only fish on the menu came in the form of occasional breaded fish sticks. Sugar, butter and salt were considered necessary parts of our diet. Secondhand smoke was present everywhere.

Vehicles must have been death traps. Adults would drink and drive with little fear of arrest. Seat belts were either nonexistent or not mandatory. There were no safety seats or air bags.

Dangerous diseases and viruses were prevalent during boomer childhoods. Most of us suffered through chicken pox, strep throat, the mumps and measles. The hundreds of anti-bacterial products now available did not exist.

As children, we were sometimes subjected to those with pedophilic proclivities, with our parents none the wiser that such a psychological profile even existed. Schools, religious institutions and activities built around sports or scouting provided fertile grounds for abuse. Our parents were thrilled that a third party was actually taking an interest in us.

Many of us suffered from learning disabilities that were not recognized beyond the label of “underachieving student.” Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism were rarely diagnosed, and those who were afflicted struggled through school wondering what was wrong.

Young women were treated like second-class citizens by parents, guidance counselors and other mentors who steered bright young ladies into home economics, secretarial work and teaching in elementary schools. Women who did break into the male world had to endure constant sexual and emotional harassment, and do the same work at reduced wages.

In 1960, 64 percent of white Americans graduated from high school, but only 39 percent of black Americans did. Twelve percent of white Americans graduated from college 58 years ago, while 5 percent of black people did. Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Jim Crow prevailed in the South, with major social, education and work barriers hindering boomers of color from making their way in the world.

Against this gauntlet of disadvantage and horrors, how is it possible that so many of us survived in relatively good emotional and physical shape? After all, 1950s America looked like a Third World country compared to the world of 2018, and its medical, social and technological resources.

The truth is, we had some cultural and social assets that served us well.

First, there were no helicopter parents. Adults wanted us out from under their feet. As a result, we had more bruises and broken bones, but became more independent along the way.

Moreover, baby boomers were born into a more forgiving, slower environment in which life did not happen at the speed of social media or 24/7 news cycles. Early on, our best adventures were in the nearby woods, or as far as our bikes would take us on lazy summer days. We enjoyed talking face to face with interesting people. We enjoyed reading. As we became older, hitchhiking across the nation, or through another country, opened our eyes to the world.

Growing up felt real, populated by new experiences that did not come from a smartphone.

Unlike today’s young adults, we outgrew our smaller childhood homes and had little desire to return to live in the basements of our parents. For those of us who wanted a total break from our upbringing, major metropolitan areas offered cheap rent as we forged our careers. For those of us who valued close-knit communities and stayed closer to home, there were plenty of opportunities to build for the future.

As teenagers and twentysomethings, we were not a comfort to our elders. For our parents, new ways of thinking, new modes of appearance, new sexual mores, new music and new methods of getting intoxicated were beyond the pale. Most of us outgrew this phase, and settled into different lifestyles. Radicals turned into financial advisers and commune dwellers into suburbanites.

Boomers fought the war in Vietnam, and protested against it with equal fervor. This split would continue to define the boomer generation all the way from the 1960s through the election of Donald Trump as president. Boomer conservatives have tended to be deeply rooted and suspicious of the constant social and economic churn of the last half-century. Conversely, boomer liberals have tended to be urbanites, and comfortable with change. Following these characteristics, boomers lined up on opposite sides of the political divide, and have determined the outcome of many national elections.

As we boomers enter our retirement years, those of us now populating the landscape in our mid-60s do not consider ourselves old. Many of us expect to live to at least 100. We look forward to using our experience to spread wisdom among younger generations, never mind that we had our chance to improve the world and often made a mess of things.

Baby boomers still have some teeth left because of our large numbers.

Whatever the future holds for us, one thing is certain – the world will never see our likes again.