Vader91

In the high-technology, left-winged, similar thought process world that is the 21^st
century, I do have to say I am an oddity. Not really an oddity in terms of
size, shape, language, or strength, but an oddity in thought. Others see my
thoughts and opinions as old, outdated, and harsher than those of the common
student. Why do I have this brain that calls the world messed up? Why does it
say that “these kids don't know anything about life around them?” Why are my
writings considered similar to that of an older man? I think I know the cause,
my Grandfather.

            Unlike other children who were raised by a standard family unit of a mother, father,
and siblings, I was raised with Grandparents and my Mother. My parents got
divorced while I was at an incredibly young age, so me and my mother moved in
with my grandparents. We stayed this way for years. To me, my “father” was my
Grandfather, “mother” my Grandmother, and my actual Mother felt more like a
very older sister. My mother worked as a nurse during the graveyard shift at a
children's hospital, so thereby I didn't see her too often between work and
sleep. I was at home with my Grandmother mostly throughout the day, until
Grandpa walked through the door at 6 o' clock sharp every evening. One could
easily see this as a typical family, with a bit of age and generation
modifications.

             It is common knowledge that young boys
typically look toward their father for advice. Now, around the late 1990s and early
2000s when I was raised, a typical father would have ideals and experiences
relevant to their generation, IE late 70s and 80s. His stories would be focused
around events like the space shuttle program, early video games, and the fall
of the USSR. Well, my “father” was raised in the late 50s and 60s. His memories
include things like Vietnam, Civil Rights, and the Apollo programs. It's clear
there's a bit of a gap between my evening tales of adventure and the kid next
door.

            It is known that over time, America as a country has changed. In the early days of
small towns and post-war economy, children and teenagers had to mature early
and get a job young in order to be successful. They also had a slightly more
relaxed free time. Law enforcement was lighter and kids could do many things
like go out shooting next door or have a 100 mile per hour drive in the outer
parts of town. However with urbanization and increase in life expectancy,
younger kids don't need to know so much about life right off the bat, they have
a more relaxed lifestyle in terms of education. However they have lost the
ability to do some activities that the last generation enjoyed. For example,
discharging a firearm near any sort of civilization (which is more widespread
thanks to urbanization) is seen as a felony. Instead, the newer generations
have gone to more electronic forms of entertainment such as arcades and a
larger film industry.

            So, when it came to quality time with my “father,” we did things he did when he was
young. Instead of buying some sort of game system, he taught me how to play
chess. He also believed that early life skills and knowledge were still needed,
and maturing should be quick. He believed that I needed to know a wide
assortment of topics that most others get to in middle or high school, if at
all. He taught me to “man-up” in most situations and watch for myself.
Also being retired a retired submariner, I got more than a handful of
questionably-appropriate sea tales with a side of technical knowledge.

            When I entered a more public world with schooling, a generation gap could be easily
felt.  While most kids knew all 100-some
odd pokemon by heart, I knew how to hold and fire an older BB rifle. During
middle school when most kids barely knew basic mathematics, I already had basic
knowledge of how nuclear reactors function. My sense of maturity and
self-dependence led me to be slightly awkward in the social circle as well.
While most kids were focusing on trivial things like some attractive female or
some new video game coming out, I focus on getting work done. Personally,
though some see this awkwardness as a downside, I see this rough and early
maturity and knowledge as a positive. If need be, I could go out in the world
and roughly know how to make things work. Most teenagers today have a hard time
getting out from behind the Playstation and into the world.