Baby Boomers are not all Alike

I was born in 1957 so that means I’m a baby boomer. But what does being a baby boomer really mean? By all accounts, we are the children of the Post World War II era, which began in 1946.

In May, 1951, Sylvia F. Porter, a columnist for the New York Post, used the term “Boom” to refer to the phenomenon of increased births in post war America. She said “Take the 3,548,000 babies born in 1950. Bundle them into a batch, bounce them all over the bountiful land that is America. What do you get? Boom. The biggest, boomiest boom ever known in history.” That boom she referred to continued until 1964.

Much attention is being paid to baby boomers these days as the first wave of us moves towards retirement and social security. Yes, we were the first generation to grow up with television; many of us lived through the civil rights era and the Vietnam War. But the real image of a baby boomer is now in question.  We are not all white kids who grew up in the suburbs watching the Mickey Mouse Club.  We have been referred to as the most diverse generation but the fact of the matter is some of us actually grew up in a separate and  unequal society.

According to a study conducted by two Duke University sociologists diversity has not led to equality:  Baby boomers are the first generation to come of age after the Civil Rights era, however, the study revealed differences of income according to race, ethnicity and country of birth so entrenched that, in effect, there are ethnic classes.  Blacks in the boomer generation, for example are no better off relative to whites than their parents and grandparents. Many older southern baby boomers can still tell you stories about the Jim Crow laws and the impact it had on their lives.

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Survey Says Baby Boomers aren’t Internet Savvy Yet

Baby Boomers aren’t as active on the internet as one might be led to believe.  According to a survey conducted by ThirdAge, Inc., more than half of boomers have never visited a social networking site.  Surprising?  Yes, it is to me since the vast majority of women I come in contact with on a daily basis are boomers.

But according to Third Age, Inc., 53 percent of boomers said they had never visited social networking sites; 47 percent cited concerns over privacy and having personal information on the Web; 39 percent said they’re too busy; and 32 percent see no benefit in spending time social networking.

“Boomers are using more traditional Web communication tools, such as e-mail, to keep in touch with their existing group of friends in order to share photos and, more importantly, life experience,” according to Third Age Chief Executive Officer Sharon Whiteley.  “That said, boomers in general are interested in connecting and interacting with others in their community around shared interests and common issues. They relate to people sharing a similar life phase, and they trust those who have walked in their shoes.”

The survey also found boomers are “not yet” interested in: blogs, podcasts, music downloads and group gaming.

Boomers alone account for 78 million people and control more than 83 percent of consumer spending, according to the companies that produced the survey. Forty percent of the United States’ population is over 45, with 50 percent market growth projected over the next 15 years. Boomer spending will increase $800 billion to over $4.6 trillion by 2015.

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Graduation’s Impact on Baby Boomer Parents

Did you know public elementary and high school students today are more diverse than the baby boomer generation of students? According to a report by the US Census Bureau, in 1970, the student population was 79 percent non-Hispanic white, 14 percent black, 1 percent Asian and Pacific islander and other races and 6 percent Hispanic. In 2003, 60 percent were non-Hispanic white, 16 percent black, 4 percent Asian and 18 percent Hispanic. By the years 2015, I bet the number of minority students will outnumber whites. It already does in many urban cities across America.

Today I became the parent of a high school graduate. Just like most parents of my baby boomer generation, I always want the best for my daughter. I want her to be judged by the content of her character and her knowledge and not by the color of her skin. Unfortunately, racism is still alive and well and in some cases being perpetuated by the baby boomer generation. All you have to do is look inside the boardrooms in Corporate America and see who’s calling the shots and how many faces of color are in real decision-making positions.

Sadly, too many young people enter into adulthood without a clue as to how the world really is. Why? Good question. In today’s speech, the Valedictorian admitted he lived in a “bubble” for four years and, as a result, missed out on the opportunity to get to know and help some people along the way.

We, as baby boomer parents, must bear the responsibility for how our children have been raised. The future is in their hands. What you instill in them when they’re young will reveal itself when they become adults—good or bad. It will also be a reflection on you.

So the question is, are you happy with the way your children (and grandchildren) are turning out?

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Who’s Taking Care of Your Parents?

Baby boomers are providing care for aging parents in record numbers, and many are overwhelmed by the physical and emotional demands.

A study sponsored by ElderCarelink highlights some familiar issues and includes a few surprises. Nearly 700 respondents, from all 50 states, answered the on-line questionnaire designed to explore family caregiving.

According to Robert Brooks, CEO of ElderCarelink, “The results highlighted emerging issues and also validated trends that previous surveys have identified.”

* Female caregivers outnumber males by 6 to 1 and report more emotional and physical impact due to caregiving than their male counterparts, but in other ways male and female respondents are very similar.
* Forty-one percent of all caregivers actually live with the care recipient.
* Most caregivers are married with some college education and have children who are grown and no longer living at home.
* Nearly one third provide more than 40 hours of care per week, and 57% say they very rarely or never take time off from their caregiving duties.
* As a result of their responsibilities, some 60% of all caregivers report their health has deteriorated since they began providing care, and 69% describe feeling overwhelmed by caregiving.

Family life is also impacted by caregiving, with 39% of respondents reporting conflicts with other family members about the care recipient. A significant number also report financial hardship and difficulty maintaining their own homes and family.

“These results are important,” says Brooks, “because they confirm the growing impact that caregiving is having on families across the U.S.”

According to Brooks, the survey and its results form the first phase of a comprehensive database on caregiving which will be available through ElderCarelink. For more detailed information visit eldercarelink.com.

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Are You a Helicopter Parent

As my daughter prepares for her high school graduation, I’ve spent a lot of time asking myself what kind of parent I’ve been over the years.

Was I what some parenting experts call a “helicopter parent?”  Apparently this is a term associated with baby boomers–describing us as parents who hover over nearly every aspect of their child’s life and have a hard time letting go.  According to an article in USA Today, most helicoptering is by mothers who are hyper-involved with their sons’ lives and fathers are more likely to use strong-arm tactics to get results. The article also suggested that as many as 70% of parents may be involved in some kind of helicoptering behavior.

OK, so tell me, what good parent isn’t concerned about their child’s welfare? Don’t we have a right to stick our noses in their business, especially if they need help and don’t know it? Don’t you agree that some young adults need guidance when it comes to their futures—like choices for college? As a matter of fact, according to a 2007 study by the National Survey of Student Engagement, students whose parent frequently intervened in problems were more engaged on a number of measures. Those students report higher satisfaction, more deep learning activities and greater gains on desired outcomes such as learning on their own and learning to work with people from different backgrounds.

So now that you can admit that you might be a helicopter parent, the question is what type are you:

The Gunship Helicopter: This type of parent swoops down and fights battles for their young adults.  This is typically the type of parent that school administrators and employers don’t like to deal with.

The Traffic Helicopter: This parent provides guidance for their young adult and helps direct them to make appropriate decisions throughout their lives.  The difference between this helicopter and the gunship helicopter is that the traffic helicopter ultimately allows the student to drive their own journey.

The Rescue Helicopter: The function of this kind of parent is to either pull their young adult out of a crisis situation and bring them to safety or bring supplies to help get them back on their feet.

You can also take a quiz offered by the College Board:  This was my result:

Stay the Course:  Your level of involvement seems to indicate a good balance between your child’s responsibilities and decisions, and your advice and guidance.

My parents were the Rescue Helicopters.

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Life Lessons for a Baby Boomer Woman

The older I get, the more I learn.  That’s one of the reasons I appreciate aging—because it comes with wisdom.  The stupid, crazy things I did 20 and 30 years ago no longer matter, but they did teach me how to grow up and move on.  Even thought these “life lessons” have been floating around cyberspace for quite a while, there are lessons I have taken to heart:

• The Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
• Money doesn’t buy class.
• The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
• We should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
• It’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
• Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
• Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
• I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
• Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
• Being kind is more important than being right.
• Never say no to a gift from a child.
• Having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
• A drive to McDonald’s with my parents when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
• The less time I have to work, the more things I get done.
• Life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

What have you learned?

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Baby Boomers Unprepared for Disability

Most baby boomers say they are financially unprepared for a potential disability, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Baby boomers would have difficulty paying bills and many would have to tap into their retirement savings if a disability occurred.

“Baby boomers have too much debt and not enough savings to weather even a short-term disability,” said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP.

The survey assessed how financially prepared baby boomers are if the primary wage earner in their household became disabled and was unable to work for an extended period of time. Most baby boomers (55 percent) say they are not at all or somewhat unprepared. Only 15 percent say they are very or extremely prepared if a disability occurred.

Baby boomers were also asked how long they could go without their primary wage earner’s income before they had difficulty paying all their bills. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) would have difficulty within the first year, half (49 percent) would have difficulty in the first six months, and a third (33 percent) would have difficulty paying all their bills in just the first three months. Most baby boomers said they would have difficulty making their mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments, and/or supporting dependents within the first year.

Almost a third (32 percent) of baby boomers say they would have to tap into their retirement savings if the primary wage earner in their household became disabled. Seventeen percent admit they do not have a retirement savings to draw upon.

Most baby boomers also admit having a significant amount of non-mortgage debt, including credit cards debt and auto or education loans. More than half of boomers (52 percent) have more than five thousand dollars in non-mortgage debt. A quarter (25 percent) of boomers have more than twenty thousand dollars in debt and nine percent have debt of more than fifty thousand dollars.

“Most baby boomers will face serious financial hardship if a disability occurs,” said Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of the Harris Poll.

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