Gen Digital?

I'm not sure what our kid's generation will be labeled when they get out of school and start looking for jobs. It seems every 10 years or so produces a new label. This one will likely have something to do with the digitial reliance, social media, connectedness we all share.

We were saying goodbye to the last group of friends in Maryland yesterday. Five-year-old Clare was giving goodbye hugs to almost-five-year-old Izzi. Clare informed me that she got Izzi's picture in the mail. (I had totally forgotten that we had mailed one, so it was cute that she remembered to say something.) Here is how that conversation went:

Clare: I got Izzi’s picture she sent in the mail.

Jen: Oh, Good! Did you like it?

Clare: Yes! I loved it.

Jen: Well, you and Izzi will be reading and writing really soon so you can start mailing letters back and forth to each other. It's called penpals!

Clare: OR, you could just set up a video chat...

(Well, DUH, Miss Jen, why didn’t YOU think of that!)

Overheard in the WWOI

On the way to school today, a Jeep Wrangler passed us. Ed drives a Jeep Wrangler. I drive a Jeep Liberty. Both vehicles are in the Jeep family but Isabelle knows the difference in models and loves to point out other Wranglers and Liberties on the road "just like ours".

So this morning, the Wrangler passed, and she asked me, "Mommy, did you not wave at that other Jeep?"

I chuckled because she sees Ed do this all the time. Have you ever heard the phrase "it's a Jeep thing"? Yea, well, in case you aren't aware, people who drive Wranglers are in a weird little cult and they wave to each other on the road. Complete strangers, girls, guys, old peeps and young. If two Wranglers pass on the road, there's gonna be a double wave. (This really freaked me out the first time I drove Ed's Wrangler by myself because I didn't know it was a Jeep thing...but I digress.)

I tried to explain this Jeep thing to Iz by saying that only the people who drive Jeeps like Daddy's actually wave to each other. People who drive Mommy's type of Jeep don't wave.

She chewed on that for a minute and then asked, "does that mean Daddy is nice to people and you aren't?" (Ha ha, well most times I suppose that is true, yes.)

"Ummmmm..."

"Because waving to people is nice, right?"

"Yes, a wave is kind of like a smile from afar, so yes, waving to people is nice."

"Mommy, I'm going to wave to everybody for you, OK?"

"Thanks, kid, for gettin' my back."

In the Wonderful World of Iz, everyone smiles and waves to each other. And they live "happily efter after" too.