Today’s Daily Prompt: In a reversal of Big, the Tom Hanks classic from the 80s, your adult self is suddenly locked in the body of a 12-year-old kid. How do you survive your first day back in school?

I’d totally love it! I was an awkward 6th grader so I’d welcome the opportunity to do six grade with more style the second time around. But even more so, I love learning about the different generations. Having an opportunity to learn about this latest generation (Generation Z) firsthand would be fascinating.

Some people say Gen Z runs from the 2000s (as compared to the 1990s) until now. That means they have lived after 9/11. Their whole lives have pretty much been lived under the threat of terrorism and recession. They’ve learned to be cautious. Where Baby Boomers knew how to spend money, I’ve read that this young generation is more focused on saving money. The internet is a standard in their existence. Digital devices are an extension of themselves. Not surprisingly then, they lack some communications skills. (I’ve read that Gen Y simplified communications to texting. Gen Z has simplified it further to just emoticons and symbols. Scary.) I’ve also read that they are all about instant gratification; therefore, they have little patience.

I’m not an expert in this area by any means. I became fascinated when I read a book, Artificial Maturity by Tim Elmore, that totally got me to thinking about the characteristics of Gen Y and Z. Tim Elmore also has a blog, too, if you’d like to check him out.

I nearly digressed. I say all this to illustrate why I’d LOVE to intermix amongst them, observe them, and understand them. What a wonderful educational opportunity! It’d help me understand the Gen Z young people in my life better and, thereby, influence them on things that really matter – things that impact their lives for eternity, not just for an instant. Also, these folks will be entering into the workforce soon (if not already). Learning how to communicate with them would make for more effective interactions in the workplace, too.