In Honor of Mom’s Special Day…
10 Ways You Know Your Mom Is a Baby Boomer
Back in the Baby Boom, mothers were a different breed than the ones you see today. There was no such thing as a “helicopter mom,” hovering over her children’s every move. She may have loved you, but she probably didn’t take any guff. She’d stuff pretty much anything—from fruit to veggies to hot dogs—into Jello.
And you can bet that if back then you asked her, “Hey, there’s a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day, how come there isn’t a Kid’s Day?” her answer would be, “Because every day is Kids’ Day.”
In our trivia game Boom Again, we celebrate the pop culture of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s—the heyday of the Baby Boom.
So just for fun, in honor of Mother’s Day, here are 10 ways you know that your mom is a Baby Boomer.
1. If you want to reminisce, she brings out an actual photo album
And a lot of those photos are likely in black and white.
These days, if you’re showing off photos of your latest vacation or the kids (or grandkids), you’re likely whipping out your phone or some other digital handheld device.
But someone raised in the Baby Boom also has plenty of photo albums. After all, back then our only option was printed pictures. She can’t take a trip down memory lane without taking a trip to the bookcase to grab an album or two (and chances are, she’s very happy to do so).
2. She likes to buy stuff from catalogues
Back in the Baby Boom, the only way to buy something without actually physically walking into a store was through mail order catalogues. Department stores like Sears and J.C. Penny mailed out catalogues the size of phone books (which you also don’t see anymore!).
The stores may have changed over the years, but chances are your mom still buys from the catalogues that come in the mail. Even if these catalogues have the same merchandise she could find if she went to the store’s website, there’s a lot of comfort to be found in thumbing through those paper pages (and for some, even ordering by phone).
3. She uses the term “channel changer” instead of remote
In the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, to change the channel on a TV meant you had to get up, walk to the TV and turn a dial. There was nothing “remote” about it. That’s why people who grew up in the Baby Boom every now and then refer to the remote as a channel changer. Because back then, they themselves probably were the channel changer.
4. Her favorite games are board games vs. video games
If your mother is a Boomer, most of the games she grew up with didn’t involve a controller (unless she was really ahead of her time and had an Atari in the ‘70s). For most Boomers, however, when we talked about games, we meant board games. The Game of Life. Monopoly. Parcheesi. Those are the ones that evoke our childhoods and bring back the fun of play.
(And might we add, our game Boom Again makes a great Mother’s Day gift for Mom. It lasts longer than flowers and it’s a way for her to reconnect with all the music, movies, fads and fun of her youth.)
5. She says things like, “When I was your age…”
That’s because she’s passing down the great lines her own parents said—after all, a classic is a classic. “Don’t make me turn this car around.” “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” “Because I said so.” “One day you’ll thank me.”
Don’t be surprised if you wind up (even against your will) whipping out some of her best lines if you have kids of your own.
6. She’s a mall walker
Mall walking combines two popular Baby Boomer activities—walking for exercise and window shopping at actual stores (instead of browsing online). That’s why if you visit your nearby mall before open store hours (especially in the winter months) you’ll see it brimming with “people of a certain age” zipping alone in track suits and sneakers.
7. On holidays, you have to eat off “the good dishes”
Most Boomer moms have a treasured set of dishes—whether ones they received when they got married or that have been handed down from their own mothers. They are essential to make an occasion special—but not used too often (because usually they have to be hand-washed)
8. She prefers printed books over e-books
It’s the feel of a printed book. It’s the smell. It’s the way she can actually turn the pages just like she has done for decades. Even if she has an e-reader, it doesn’t mean the feel of a “real book” has lost its appeal.
9. She has a place that she keeps files and paperwork
Similarly, all important paperwork must consist of, well, paper. Bills. Taxes. Medical records. She might have much of this in digital form, but it must also be printed out and stored.
10. She’s got some weird recipes
The Baby Boom was the era that heralded in processed food. Chances are your mother has a few oddball recipes up her sleeve that make “interesting” use of what was at the time all the rage—from Jello “salads” to Hot Dog Pie and beyond.
So, is your mom a Boomer?
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