The Generational-Based Cultural Challenges That Play Out At Home Today

Mr. and Mrs. Jonnes are the quintessential '1950s raised generation. They love hosting friends and family as often as they can and frequently find the time to spend weekends upcountry in keeping with their age group.

The Jonnes's built a big house. Several people can live there at any given time. They have three married children. Two boys and a girl, all in their 40s and with a combined brood of 6 children who love to visit the grand folks as often as they can. This home frequently has three generations with contrasting world views.

For grand pa's 75th birthday, the grandchildren bought him a state-of-the-art laptop and a tablet to help him with his work as a marketing research expert. He'd used the desktop for the last 15 years. At the unveiling ceremony, grandpa remained plain-faced and never let out any excitement beyond thanking his grandchildren for the gift.

The man usually on top of things was now going to learn from his grandkids. The old man was not ready for a reverse mentoring experience as he felt that the kids would make fun of him when he sought their help.

The three siblings are caught between the old and the young. They are at home with technology and see the value in the gifts. They approach their father and ask him to disclose what he would have appreciated the most, and he tells them a new golf kit. Something he could show his four-ball at the club.

In contrast, none of the grandchildren took up the game of golf. It hardly registers in their minds and was therefore impossible for them to consider buying a golf set.

The old man told his children that at his age, he believed in guided surprises on gifts. He needed to be consulted somehow so that gift-unveiling moments elicit obvious excitement on sighting a perfect gift.

To get things into a celebratory mood, the three siblings quickly put funds together and present them to their father. They tell him that the money was for him to spend at the sports shop that stocks up golf kits. This gesture really lifted his spirits and he immediately called his grandchildren back in to thank them for the wonderful gifts.

He was now ready to learn how to use the new gadgets. The grandkids were in shock. A few minutes earlier the old man was unmoved, but now he was over the moon like a real birthday boy. No one spoke of the energizer that did the trick.

The old man was full of praise for the grandchildren and thanked their parents for raising such thoughtful kids. He ended it by telling them that his lack of excitement earlier was because at his age, mental sluggishness had checked in and it now took him longer to fathom surprises.

They all sang "happy birthday" and made merry.

Culturally speaking, we have no mixed grill equivalents of generational cognitive processes, perhaps a buffet experience comes close to what we witness daily. Every generation picks what works for them or what they know best.

Culture in this context refers to distinct sets of practices, beliefs, and principles subscribed to by sizeable populations.

The homestead, much as it is the smallest stable unit housing a consistent set of people, also is a cultural melting pot as it stocks together two or three generations, all with subcultures applicable to their age groups.

Culture is the operating software and just imagine what results from three operating software applications attempting to integrate into one working system. All age groups must make efforts to understand each other's preferences if harmony must be maintained.