Sunday, September 10, 2006

Welcome to the UnTaboo Generation

“Did you see the premiere of Nip/Tuck”?

“Yes, of course I did”! I almost shouted.

“Well, I am now addicted to that show. You should have seen your brother when it was on. He could hardly believe they do THAT on cable.”

I have a mental picture of my mother, father, and brother sitting around the sofa watching Dr. Christian Troy get it on with a mother/daughter duo but I shudder and quickly erase the picture from my mind.

“That show is something else,” my father mumbles with a goofy grin.

This is all too much.

Nip/Tuck – the ultimate in family entertainment. I should have never introduced them to the show to begin with. I will be haunted with those images for the rest of my life.




Later on, while in the comforts of my apartment where I can watch Nip/Tuck without the embarrassment of my mother sitting next to me, I am alerted by the familiar “bing” of an IM alert.

****** - "Hey Rach!"

It is my 11-year-old cousin in New York. This is the way my family communicates now. No joke. When I lived at home, my mother would IM me to ask questions rather than take the trip down the stairs.

Arubarachel – "Hey babe, how is my favorite cousin?"

****** - "I am really good :) I can’t wait for you to come visit. You can meet my boyfriend."


Excuse me? Ok, I admit it; I had a boyfriend in kindergarten. But, playing house and playing doctor was our relationship in its entirety. I believe boys still had coodies at the age of 11.

Arubarachel – "You have a boyfriend?"

******* - "LOL, yeah. Oh, he is here brb."

What happened to kids spending the afternoon playing Barbie?


Here lies Americans in the 21st century. Long gone are the days where families gathered around to play Monopoly. Instead we sit around and discuss the sex-lives of our favorite TV characters. Little girls have boyfriends (albeit innocent ones) at the age where I had no idea what a boyfriend stood for. We openly talk about bodily functions. Private parts are no longer private and public conversations can center around sex, periods and sperm..often all at the same time.

Another IM “bing”


****** "OUCH!"

Arubarachel – "what?"

******* "I just sneezed and farted at the same time."


See what I mean?


The phone rings and interrupts my thoughts. It is a dear friend calling to find out my weekend plans.

“Let’s see a movie”

“How about a baseball game instead?” I ask.

“Am I buying the tickets then?” he asks without being serious.

“Of course you are.”

“Well then Road Head is required for payment.”

“Nice try,” I say, “See what tickets you can find.”

I hang up the phone and sit for a minute to think. Where along the lines did any taboo subject start hanging out, in the open for all eyes to see? When did all this happen?


I can’t say I mind….It makes for excellent conversation.

13 comments:

deepsat said...

guess young ppl are getting matured even before their time!! the media and fast life is bringing everything even before they can be comprehended!!!

cant imagine kids and their psyche, ten years from now!!

;-))

Keshi said...

**Long gone are the days where families gathered around to play Monopoly.

so true...families these days email/txt each other to say Hello!

Keshi.

Anonymous said...

I think this is your best post so far (from what I read).
That means it's good :)

Rachel said...

I am glad in a way that things are much more open than they used to be, but in a way I am worried.
There is a part of me that knows that I have to prepare my son for the real world out there, but there is another part of me that wants him to stay young and innocent forever.
He realized last weekend that I actually had sex with his dad to get pregnant with him.
He knows a bit about the birds and the bees, but he never really made the connection.
He was totally grossed out...hehe

Tiffanie said...

I watched the season premiere too, my mouth was dropped open... could those two really be in love? It was shocking!

Food for thought. Yeah, my kids are too young to watch it. (Thankfully)

But I am still addicted to it!

Scott said...

God I don't want to have a daughter... not in this age of dating at 11 and barely there clothes and sexualized conversation.

It is fine for me, but the kids? Not so cool.

Scott

Anonymous said...

This is a great piece of commentary:

Here lies Americans in the 21st century. Long gone are the days where families gathered around to play Monopoly. Instead we sit around and discuss the sex-lives of our favorite TV characters. Little girls have boyfriends (albeit innocent ones) at the age where I had no idea what a boyfriend stood for. We openly talk about bodily functions. Private parts are no longer private and public conversations can center around sex, periods and sperm..often all at the same time.


...And I think it's hella cute that your mom used to IM you from within the same house!

Grumpy O. Selznick said...

road head? road head/

Rachel Heather said...

Deepsat - no kidding. I swear, childhood is no longer lol

Keshi - coming from a blackberry family - you have no idea :)

Itai - Thank you for that lovely compliment

J - yeah I had a bf too but we just payed doctor - d'oh

Rachel - when I found out how I was conceived I was totally grossed out too. I dont think kids will ever be abkle to picture their parents doing it. ICK


Tiffanie - Could you belive the ending? Now that was a shocker. New ep tonight!!

Scott - this is whydads keep their little girls locked up and threaten their boyfriends with violence lol

Bugs Butt - Thanks - Maybe I will build upon that for an article even? My mom IM's me from India when she is on business. I think my family needs to go to that blackberry support group they have

Grumpy - Road Head - giving head while driving -i.e on the road :)

Anonymous said...

Having grown up in Montreal, I came from a place where nothing was taboo. Thankfully, it seems like the US is shifting over in that direction. Feels just like home...awwww... :)

P.S. Road Head ROCKS! ;)

Keshi said...

rofl @blackberry family!

u might like my latest post then :)

Keshi.

Anonymous said...

I've never had road head! I think I'd probably get in a wreck if I did.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Jill, I'm glad the the US, and North America as a whole, is considering sex and sexuality less of a taboo. The realization that parents have to make in this day is how to promote that trend in a positive way. Having "healthy" conversations regarding sex and sexuality and educating their kids will do wonders for them.

The kids talk about it anyway — my guess as to why the do so earlier is merely because they want to be so much like the kids older than themselves and it's just flowing down the age line — so why not teach them the right way. Get it in the open and keep it positive.

Re: Nip/Tuck, someday soon I hope to pick up season one on DVD. I've seen a few episodes and my brother loves the show so I really need to check it out.