Gen X walks around like the unsung hero of the modern age—and in many ways, they’re not wrong. Raised on latchkey independence, grunge music, and rotary phones, they survived actual boredom, knew life before Wi-Fi, and somehow managed to raise kids while barely processing their own emotional trauma. Iconic.
But to their kids? Some of that Gen X swagger doesn’t exactly translate as “cool.” In fact, it’s eye-roll central. Here are 15 things Gen Xers beam with pride about… while their kids quietly pretend not to know them in public:
1. Drinking from the Garden Hose: The Original Sports Drink
Ask any Gen Xer about summer, and you’ll probably get a story about chugging water straight from the garden hose. No water bottles, no filtered gadgets—just pure, hose-flavored refreshment. It didn’t matter how long the hose had been baking on the lawn or what mystery bugs might be lurking.
To their kids, this is the wildest thing they’ve ever heard. The look of shock on their faces is priceless, like you just admitted to eating grass. But for Gen X? It’s a badge of honor.
It’s about surviving the untamed outdoors and living to tell the tale. Every gulp felt like proof you could handle anything. Sure, it might sound like a round of “gastrointestinal roulette,” but honestly, it built character—and a rock-solid immune system. Just don’t expect today’s kids to join in.
2. The CD Binder: A Portable Musical Museum
Nothing screams Gen X pride louder than that brick-sized binder packed with CDs. The sound of plastic sleeves crackling and discs clacking together is basically our national anthem. Each page is a soundtrack to heartbreaks, road trips, and awkward slow dances.
Meanwhile, the kids? They’re praying you don’t pull it out at the next school pickup. The binder is heavy enough to double as a weapon, yet Gen Xers treat it like fine art.
It isn’t just music—it’s a time capsule of weird phases and questionable haircuts. No playlist could ever capture the feeling of flipping through dog-eared album covers, hunting for your favorite song. Kids roll their eyes, but for us, it’s a treasure chest. Spotify can’t compete with nostalgia you can actually hold.
3. Concert Tees as Couture: Wear Your Memories
Some people collect stamps. Gen X collects concert tees like they’re designer labels. There’s nothing quite like slipping on that shredded, faded shirt from the summer you saw your favorite band live.
It’s not just a shirt—it’s living proof you survived a mosh pit (or at least the nosebleed seats). These tees become a uniform for errands, school events, and—let’s be real—even the occasional date night.
To our kids, though, these shirts are a fashion crisis. They can’t understand why anyone would wear a 30-year-old top with holes in it. But for us, it’s sacred. Every rip tells a story, and every faded logo is a badge of honor. No fast fashion can ever compete.
4. VCRs Forever: The Last Bastion of Home Alone
You know you’re Gen X when you refuse to give up your VCR—no matter how many streaming services exist. That hulking gray box gathers dust, but it’s still a prized possession. There’s a certain magic in the whirring sound as it eats up a tape.
“Why keep it?” the kids ask, baffled. Because nothing hits quite like watching “Home Alone”—grainy picture and all—the way it was meant to be seen.
Sure, the VCR has eaten more tapes than it’s played, and you haven’t found a working remote since 1999. But every time you see it, you remember Friday nights, popcorn, and rewinding with your fingers crossed. It’s more than a gadget—it’s a ticket back to simpler times.
5. Bragging Rights: Surviving Without Safety Gear
Helmet? What helmet? Gen X grew up with wind in our hair and scrapes on our knees. We were the generation who learned to ride bikes, climb trees, and skateboard—no gear required.
Telling our kids we survived without seatbelts or adult supervision is practically a party trick. To them, it sounds like a daredevil stunt straight out of a warning label.
We see it as proof of our rough-and-tumble independence. Every scar has a backstory (and probably a little exaggeration). Children today can’t relate, but that’s part of what makes the telling even sweeter. It wasn’t reckless; it was just being a kid, Gen X style.
6. Noise or Music? The Great Guitar Debate
Nothing unites Gen X dads and moms more than calling today’s music “just noise.” We’ll ask, “Where are the guitars?” as if it’s a cosmic mystery. Attempting to bridge the gap, we’ll compare Nirvana to Billie Eilish like it’s a fair contest.
Our kids, mortified, crank up their playlists and ignore us. But every parent secretly relishes the moment—they get to play cultural gatekeeper.
It’s not that we hate new music; we just love our own more. The debate itself becomes a family tradition, filled with good-natured teasing and exaggerated sighs. Every generation needs a soundtrack, and Gen X defends theirs with gusto (and plenty of dad jokes).
7. The Encyclopedia Era: Analog Wisdom
Before Google, there were encyclopedias—those massive, alphabetized tomes that doubled as doorstops. Gen X remembers using them for every school project, hunting down facts the slow way. There was a thrill to opening those pages, flipping through the world one entry at a time.
Kids today get answers in seconds, but we remember what it meant to wait for information. It was patience, persistence, and maybe a little frustration when the volume you needed was already checked out at the library.
Our stories about “life before the internet” sound mythical to our kids. But there’s pride in knowing how to research the hard way. It’s not about being old-fashioned—it’s about having lived through the last gasp of analog smarts.
8. Back in My Day: The Classic Eye-Roll Starter
Start any sentence with “Back in my day…” and watch your kids’ eyes roll right out of their heads. For Gen X, it’s a verbal time machine—a way to relive the era of phone cords and paper maps.
Sharing these tales, we’re not just reminiscing—we’re measuring how far we’ve all come. Sometimes, it really is about showing off a little.
The kids may groan, but these stories are the glue between generations. They signal that we’ve seen things, done things, and (somehow) survived things no one else will ever face. Even if the phrase is a punchline now, for us, it’s a ticket to family history.
9. Still Stuck on Hotmail: Vintage Email Vibes
Who needs Gmail when you’re loyal to Hotmail—or, dare I say, AOL? For Gen Xers, that ancient email address is like an old friend who’s seen too much. Every time you log in, it’s a little victory against the relentless march of technology.
Kids get embarrassed just looking at your email signature. But you know what? You’ve had that address longer than they’ve been alive. It’s got history.
Sure, you occasionally miss important emails to the spam folder, and maybe your inbox could use a little spring cleaning. But that retro email feels just right. It’s a digital comfort zone—no apologies needed.
10. Mixtape Magic: Love in 90 Minutes or Less
There’s nothing quite as romantic—or painstaking—as making a mixtape. Gen X grew up pressing “record” at just the right moment, praying the DJ wouldn’t talk over your song. Every tape was a love letter set to music.
Teens today can share playlists in seconds. They’ll never know the drama of a tape getting eaten, or the heartbreak of running out of space mid-ballad.
We wore our hearts on our sleeves (and our headphones). A mixtape was proof you cared enough to spend hours perfecting every transition. Spotify’s got nothing on that level of effort. Kids may cringe, but the nostalgia hits hard every time you find an old tape tucked in a drawer.
11. Blockbuster Flashbacks: The Original Streaming Night
Working at Blockbuster in high school? That was the dream—free rentals, popcorn perks, and the power to recommend hidden gems. Gen X loves to retell stories about late-night returns and debating which new releases were worth the hype.
For kids, Blockbuster is ancient history, practically a museum exhibit. But those blue-and-yellow uniforms are a symbol of simpler times.
Every story is a reminder of Friday nights spent wandering the aisles with friends, arguing over which movie to rent. It’s the kind of nostalgia you just can’t stream. Even if your kids groan, you’ll always be proud you held the keys to the kingdom of VHS.
12. Denim Dreams: The 1980s Fashion Time Machine
Some fashion trends are timeless—and then there’s ’80s style. Gen X rocks acid-wash jeans, neon scrunchies, and shoulder pads like they’re going to make a comeback any day now. Those old outfits aren’t just clothes; they’re memories stitched into every seam.
Teens don’t get the appeal. They see a fashion crisis; we see a style revolution. The bolder, the better—every accessory was a statement, even if it didn’t match anything else.
There’s something empowering about refusing to let go of your favorite look. Maybe the world isn’t ready for another mullet renaissance, but Gen X isn’t apologizing. Fashion is personal, and some things are too iconic to retire.
13. Rotary Phones and Payphones: The Lost Art of Dialing
Before texting, there was the rotary phone—an actual workout for your fingers. Gen X remembers memorizing phone numbers, the thrill of a busy signal, and the agony of messing up the last digit. Every call was a little adventure.
Payphones were just as iconic. You scrounged for coins or practiced your best collect call script when you needed a ride home.
Telling these stories, we might as well be describing hieroglyphics. To our kids, it’s ancient history. But for us, it’s proof we survived in a world that didn’t fit in our pockets.
14. Rewinding Cassettes: The Pencil Trick
Who needs fancy gadgets when you’ve got a No. 2 pencil? Gen X became cassette tape surgeons, spinning reels with surgical precision. The pencil trick was an essential life skill, and everyone had their own technique.
Kids stare in bewilderment as you explain it. Why not just “skip” to the next song? Because rewinding was an event—and sometimes, a race against time before your favorite song started again.
It’s the little things that stick. The satisfaction of hearing that click as the tape snapped back into place is a memory you can almost feel. Let the kids laugh; we’ll keep our old-school hacks.
15. Before Screens: Storytelling While Scrolling
Nothing gets the kids’ eyes rolling faster than hearing, “We didn’t have screens back then!”—especially while you’re halfway through a Facebook rant. Gen X loves to reminisce about epic games of street hockey or reading comics by flashlight.
Meanwhile, the phone is glued to your hand. The irony is delicious and not lost on anyone under 25.
Still, there’s pride in remembering a time when entertainment didn’t come with notifications. Sure, we might be doomscrolling now, but we’ll never stop reminding the next generation how good they have it. And honestly? We earned the right to both scroll and scold.