As an early GenXer, I was among the leading wave of kids whose parents both worked, so I went home to an empty house every day. And let me tell you, it's true what they say about GenX. We're self-reliant. We're independent. Oh, and we're just so darn cool because we don't really care that much.
I did a lot of after-school sports, so a good part of the year, my parents were home by the time I got home. But in the sports off-season? My sisters and I came home to a parent-free house, giving us a level of free-range childhood that's pretty much unmatched in this day and age.
We learned by trial and error. Some of the lessons were swift and uncomfortable. Many of them carried over into adulthood. These were some of the lessons I learned.
Don't Paint Your Little Sister's Face With Mustard
What I really learned is that actions have consequences — often financial. My older sister and I used up an entire tub of mustard painting our younger sister's face. Why? Probably because we only had about four channels on TV, and video games weren't quite a household thing yet. It was something to do.
And when my parents found out (they always found out), they made us fork out from our allowance for a whole new jar of mustard.
Related: 15 Things I Did As a Free-Range GenX Kid That Nobody Does Today
Or Lock Her in the Basement When She Annoys You
This one was all me — well, and one of my friends who came home with me after school. My younger sister was being a pest, and I wanted her to stop bothering me. The basement was free, so I locked her down there. Just for a few minutes, but I'm pretty sure I got grounded for that one. Kidnapping is bad, y'all.
If You Live in a Small Town, Your Parents Are Always Going to Find Out
Always. There are things we got in trouble for that, to this day, my parents will not tell us how they discovered it. All we know is that it wasn't hidden cams around the house because that wasn't a thing back then.
If You Lose Your Key, You're Out of Luck
I wore my key on a lanyard around my neck so I wouldn't lose it. Which is actually kind of hilarious given that I lose my keys regularly as an adult (thank goodness for AirTags). But back then, losing your keys meant sitting outside, no matter the weather. And since I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, that was usually rain.
But if You Do Forget Your Keys, There Are Other Ways to Get In
Let's just say that I could've had a second career as a burglar.
Try to Ration the Good Snacks so They Last
My parents did monthly shopping where we'd come home with boxes and boxes of food. And they'd pick out some great snacks — cookies, sugar cereal, chips... but the problem was that we'd eat all those in the first week, and the next three weeks we'd be stuck with the less appealing stuff. Like saltines.
Fortunately, You Can Turn Practically Anything Into a Snack
When we were down to the dregs, we had to get creative. Saltines with peanut butter and brown sugar on them. Ramen noodles with parmesan cheese and butter (instead of the salty flavor packets). It made me a rather inventive cook, given that we never made it much past a week with the good snacks.
Never Use Water to Put Out a Grease Fire
A pan of ground beef I was cooking caught on fire. I promptly put it under the faucet and turned on the water. To say the fire flared would be an understatement. It engulfed my head and singed my brows, lashes, and bangs. When I saw myself in the mirror, my face was black with soot. Let me tell you, you'll only do that once.
The day after, with my still-singed hair, one of our neighbors came over and hired me to babysit her kids for the summer while she was at work all day. She must've been desperate because I wouldn't have hired me.
Lessons That Last a Lifetime
I actually look back fondly on my GenX childhood. Sure, I made a lot of missteps. But spending a lot of time left to my own devices gave me resilience and responsibility, and I learned how to entertain myself for hours at a time. It's still a superpower I use when the power or internet goes out.
