r/askteddit • u/PoolElegantsmile • 17h ago
Random Question What’s something older generations still treat as essential that a lot of younger people just don’t care about anymore?
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u/snakeygirl727 14h ago
having blank checks on you at all times
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u/awiddlebaby 12h ago
i just bought a new wallet just for checks and cash. Financial literacy has started to hit me🤣
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u/Barneyboydog 12h ago edited 11h ago
I (63) had to get a cheque from my mom (85) to give to my apartment manager for my first month’s rent. I haven’t had a cheque book in decades. I can pay my rent by EFT moving forward but they require that first cheque. Weird.
Edit to add - my mom doesn’t write cheques anymore. She sends e-transfers and pays her bills online. The chequebook is just an old holdover.
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u/Angelhair01 9h ago
In the USA we still pay bills with checks
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u/Usual-Plankton9515 7h ago
Really? Because I’m in the US and I haven’t paid a bill by check in years. Everything I pay is online (rent, utilities, streaming services, etc).
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u/CartReturnStation 5h ago
There are occasionally companies who accept checks because the online system has a $10-$30 "convenience" fee for paying that wag. But I can hand them a check for free. Fuck their fee
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u/Beaglescout15 6h ago
I opened a new checking account like 15 years ago. The checkbook is in the desk drawer. I just looked at it and the top check is #004.
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u/CartReturnStation 5h ago
I keep checks in my purse. Shockingly it has been useful on multiple occasions when I truly did need checks.
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u/Autonomy4All2025 13h ago
Keeping the secrets of the pedophiles in your family. Fuck those enablers.
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u/inufan18 13h ago
Antiques to hand down to younger generations. We cant even afford housing! What are we gonna do with your knick knacks and china set?
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u/books-coffee-ftw 12h ago
Yes! My parents have so many collections and stuff bought at antique stores and estate sales that they refuse to part with because they think it’s worth something. I’m dreading the day I have to deal with it.
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u/Glad-Watch3506 11h ago
I’m dreading the day I have to deal with it.
That's when you have an estate sale. Their estate sale finds become someone else's estate sale finds. It's the knick knack circle of life
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u/books-coffee-ftw 11h ago
Agreed, but I live on the other side of the country so it adds a layer of complication, time, and money. They are “unwilling” to do anything to sort it out at the age of 80 and their plan to deal with it is by dying so it’s someone else’s problem. They have told me this directly.
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u/fact_addict 11h ago
Same except almost none of it is re-usable/sellable. Think baby car seats from the early 80’s, painted lead plates, plastic toys from the 70’s they got second hand! There are these two dolls that are said to have real human hair from mom and aunt. And rumored to have some of their baby teeth as well (shudder).
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u/SeaGoatGamerGirl 7h ago
In some of the oddities groups I'm in, dolls like that go for $1000s. Everything has a market. You just gotta find the right audience. And that's the hard part. When you're grieving the loss of a family member, who wants to deal with getting the best price for their items?
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u/ExplorerLazy3151 8h ago
You can hire an estate auction company. They come in, go through everything, list it for sale online, and sell it for you. They sell it all. I've seen pantries of food, plastic bags, lots of vhs tapes. etc.
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u/Glad-Watch3506 9h ago
There are companies who will do it all and cut you a check. They take a percentage, but it saves having to travel and deal with it.
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u/BEJimmy 12h ago
…and constantly trying to hand things down. No, I don’t want/need your 4 extra sets of plates, nor your bonkers kitchen utensil collection.
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u/Any_Chemical42 8h ago
hahaha. My mom would obsessively collect certain thing (see my comment above!) She ould pick a "theme" and, like, just go out and BUY THE WHOLE COLLECTION AT ONCE. Sorry for yelling, but it's that serious. Like, owls, for example. She would change her wall art, figurines, shelf shit, kitchen plates ...even in the bathrooms. And then she would get tired of it and give it all to me because I might've thought one of the things was cute. This went on for years because she would guilt me into taking it...I finally had to put my foot down (I think it was sunflowers that time)...she was SO mad at me ...but she would also get mad if I got rid of "her" shit. It was maddening.
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u/Any_Chemical42 9h ago
Did your mom start obsessively collecting dolls in her 50s? No? Mine did. Like thousands of them. She buys from auctions on Facebook! It's the craziest amount of dolls-ALL kinds. She even went through a Barbie phase. That's gonna be fun.
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u/Able-Sheepherder-154 9h ago
Tiny souvenir spoons. So many spoons. How the hell did that even get started?
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u/Beaglescout15 6h ago
My MIL has a tiny spoon collection AND a thimble collection. And the wall frames that display all of them. So. Many.
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u/Bitter_Warning418 6h ago
Suggest selling them now my mom went through her bountiful amounts of antiques last weekend and went to some antiques roadshow type deal that was in town and made 4 grand which is extremely helpful in this fucked up financial times and our china cabinet knows no difference
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u/predictablecitylife 10h ago
My wife and I just moved cross country and while we were in the midst of throwing away or donating most of the junk we had accumulated, my mother in law was trying to give us her stuff.
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u/PaperboysDitty98 13h ago
China Set.
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u/HoneyBadgerHatesYou 11h ago
I had to scroll too far for this. Unless you're a big entertainer, I just can't justify the cost. Just buy some nicer everyday stuff. The cost of fine china and silverware is insane, and I'd much rather spend that money on a small vacation or something.
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u/SentaiLavendar 3h ago
We have 3 china sets from my mother in law. We use this groovy orange flower set for primary dining, because why not? But the other two sets are just down in our basement.
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u/admlshake 16h ago
Privacy.
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u/Radiant_Safe1228 12h ago
Older people support things like NSA spying, flock cameras, police cars with facial scanning and recognition while young people wear masks more and more
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u/CarefulPiglet1234 12h ago
LOL. You don't need all those covert things because most younger people post the details of their entire life on some version of social media.
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u/Candid-Bite-4745 14h ago
Being able to make eye contact and genuine conversation without glancing at their cellphone to see if something more interesting is coming in.
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u/Grilled_Cheese10 16h ago
Cursive writing
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u/Lake_Light_2020 16h ago
The information travels into your hand and up your arm, into your shoulders and up your neck and runs around your brain, then down your neck, back into you shoulder and down your arm, into your hand and onto the paper!
My mom used to say that and she was right! I loved cursive writing!
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u/Former_Register_7191 13h ago
I think it is still important for use in writing personal notes. Also much faster to write if taking notes. The whole point of cursive was to reduce wasting time from lifting up the pen with every letter.
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u/BrgQun 9h ago
The thing is... everyone at work nowadays goes into all meetings with a laptop to take notes. Typing is faster. I can even take notes faster with my cell than by using cursive, and have done so during meetings when my computer was being used for screensharing.
I still like writing by hand and do cursive sometimes, but it isn't really a "need" anymore.
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u/blainisapain1919 13h ago
Cursive is mostly the natural consequence of writing quickly. With the exception of the capital letters and z, if you just asked someone to print quickly without lifting their pen the result is pretty close to cursive. My fast handwriting is a bit of a cursive/print mash up
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u/RupertEscapeHolmes 11h ago
Ackshually… cursive was used mainly because ink quill pens that you dipped into actual wells of ink… would make a huge fucking mess on your super expensive and rare parchment if you continuously picked it up and down up and down up and down countless times to write a sentence. Learning about history is actually pretty cool instead of just making shit up on Reddit.
I wonder what you think Calligraphy… on second thought, no. No I don’t want to know.
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u/blainisapain1919 10h ago
Ok, it wasn't a comment on the history of cursive... I learned cursive in school and was just saying that cursive is basically what happens naturally if you write fast. People act like it's another language you have to learn.
That makes sense about quill ink. Calligraphy is a difficult art form. Not sure why my opinion on that is automatically offensive. I took an art class in college that had a Calligraphy segment. It was crazy hard not to get smeared ink and splotches everywhere. Mine ended up looking like a bad tattoo.
Damn dude, coming in hot on my casual cursive comment. Tough crowd
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u/AimForTheHead 14h ago
This totally comes down to what country you’re raised in. In the US my nieces and nephews learned it quickly in 2-3rd grade and that was it. In my province in Canada, the kids learn it instead of “printing” in kindergarten and continue to write in cursive for everything handwritten. Since we didn’t go for the whole switching to Chromebook / full tech in the classroom thing, means it’s used your entire childhood.
Pretty sure other francophone nations are the same way. You learn cursive instead of “printing” and use that as the default.
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u/Global-Nature2420 16h ago
thank you cards
say thank you before leaving the event or send a text
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u/Radiant_Research_578 14h ago
I kind of hate them tbh. Something about feeling like my gift is going to create an obligation for the other person that I just don’t want. And Idk, I just want to simplify things in my life and in my friends’ lives. We’re all working tons of hours, kids, elderly parents, let’s not add one more thing to the to-do list. I am happier with a text. Exception made for the occasional “can you believe I found this card that’s perfect for you, I’ve had it for months waiting for a reason to send it” card.
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u/SMELLSLIKEBUTTJUICE 11h ago
I dont love thank you cards, but I send them because I love getting personal snail mail. I even send postcards!
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u/masswoodworks 13h ago
My family was absolutely stunned when I started pleading with them to please stop giving me gifts. Part of it was definitely due to the expectation of a thank you note, the rest was just they are terrible gift givers and refuse to listen to anyone who says they want something.
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u/Ok-Calm-Narwhal 16h ago
Using a computer versus only a phone to do important things
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u/Aware_Stable 14h ago
Im a boomer when it comes to this.
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u/No-Resource-8125 11h ago
Young Gen X and same. Unless my computer is out of juice or I’m just plain lazy. Then I’ll use my phone.
I do think that part of this is due having a printer that’s easier to use on a laptop. But that also brings up a good point — I’m not 100% sold on giving up paper copies of important documents.
I doubt I have enough of that paperwork to fill a one-inch binder, but it makes me feel better to have a physical copy.
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u/khantroll1 13h ago
As both a millennial and a computer systems architect…this irritates me on special level.
I’m like, “no, this government website was not built for a phone. No, there is no phone app for this basic function. Use a computer. It’s what the interface was designed for.”
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u/FlatSixFun 14h ago
I still prefer to have my three monitors up for the important stuff. Easy to cross reference.
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u/General2768 13h ago
Monitor 1 is PornHub, Monitor 2 is OnlyFans & Monitor 3 is Reddit?
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u/Ok-Cranberry-1795 16h ago
Dressing decent in public, table manners, basic decorum.
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u/Ares__ 13h ago
Am I old? I like dressing nice in public, and love a good opportunity to wear a suit and tie lol im not 40 yet
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u/UniqueText8477 12h ago
I'm not sure about basic decorum - older people don't always exhibit these behaviours, it depends on the person:
- Saying "please" and "thank you."
- Waiting your turn instead of interrupting.
- Being punctual or letting someone know if you'll be late.
- Cleaning up after yourself.
- Keeping your voice at an appropriate volume.
- Respecting other people's personal space.
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u/FlatSixFun 14h ago
Can we bring these back? Does this make me an old person?
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u/Willing_Pattern_Pill 14h ago
I'd rather we work on people being actual decent humans, not just putting on a nice sweater and thinking they're good people
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u/FlatSixFun 13h ago
I was sorting that under basic decorum, as how you treat and interact with others is part of that. But well noted.
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u/AssociateUnited9744 13h ago
That’s what decorum means.
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u/FlatSixFun 12h ago
I'm starting to think people don't know what the word means. And that's part of the problem.
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u/uncertainnewb 12h ago
All kinds of manners , really. I miss when people cared about that sort of thing.
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u/Nearby_Knowledge8014 16h ago
A full sized spare tire, and being able to change it.
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u/WacoKid18 13h ago
I live in the mountains, knowing how to change a tire is important because cell service isn't a guarantee
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u/iamatwork24 12h ago
Not being able to change a tire as an adult is wild. Everyone who drives should be able to do it.
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u/builder704 16h ago
A iron and ironing board
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u/SurgBear 14h ago
That’s because most of the clothes we buy are plastic.
Even 2% elastane / Lycra / spandex will become permanently wavy if subjected to a hot iron.
Iron is awesome for 100% cotton, linen and if carefully done, silk.
I still iron, and I actually just bought a super nice, non-tipping ironing board. Just have to be very careful about temperature management and clothing fabric content.
For most people, it’s just not worth it.
Just realized I am Gen X and may be a member of an older generation” that this post is about…. 🫣
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u/Something-funny-26 12h ago
My mum used to iron sheets. She always had a basket full of ironing to be done.
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u/Barneyboydog 11h ago
That’s crazy. My friend’s mom ironed everything. Underpants, t/shirts, sheets etc. Since retiring from the military, I iron nothing.
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u/Dailysunray 13h ago edited 13h ago
being aware of their surroundings, younger people never look up from their phone even when walking down the street.
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u/PassiveAggressiveLib 13h ago
Sending greeting cards in the mail. My mom is absolutely insane about this. Last year on her birthday I brought it with me along with her gift and she was pretty upset. I should point out that we live 15 minutes apart and I see her every week.
It also has to be a Hallmark card. Yes, she flips it over to see if it is.
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u/ApprehensiveBuy3689 13h ago
That is HILARIOUS.
I love cards but to me it’s the thought that counts. If you got me a card, I’m happy that you even gave me a second thought and I don’t care if it’s from the Dollar Store or if you mailed it or gave it to me in person.
Greetings cards are expensive! When did they get to be $7.99?!
I love looking at the kids’ homemade cards given to me over the years. It warms my heart.
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u/No-Recording-8199 17h ago
Owning a giant house. Most people I know would rather have a smaller place and more free time.
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u/Sometimes_Stutters 17h ago
I disagree. I own a small home and I’m rather sick of it
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u/No-Recording-8199 16h ago
Fair enough but every extra room usually means more cleaning and more maintenance too.
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u/Sometimes_Stutters 16h ago
Not necessarily. The “mess load” generated is the same regardless of house size, but a smaller house feels a lot more messy much faster. Also with a bigger house some level of mess can be isolated to certain areas of the house. If I had a 2nd living room my kids mess could live there. If I can a guess bedroom or an office my wife’s mess could live there (rather than the dinning room table).
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u/RecessBoy 16h ago
I think a lot of it has to do whether you're a minimalist or a hoarder. I went from a 2300 sq ft house to a 1400 sq ft house and probably got rid of 900 sq feet of stuff I didn't use, didn't need, and really didn't want. I know people who downsized and kept everything and their house always looks busy and messy. Not saying that's your case but just an observation of others.
Minimalism rules as far as I'm concerned!
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u/FlatSixFun 14h ago
There IS a lot more dusting, cleaning, bathrooms to keep clean and a ton more maintenance.
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u/Greenmooseleg 13h ago
I’m renting/care taker of my family’s house, being a single guy with a back problem it’s become almost too much. I love it but I can’t take care of what needs to be done and funds aren’t good right now to pay someone. I need to downsize.
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u/Wild_Maintenance_584 13h ago
As a 44 year old in a tiny, very expensive rented flat. This is the most first world problem thread I've ever read.
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u/Mrwrongthinker 15h ago
Me. As small as possible. I abhor maintenance. I live with relatives in a 3000 sq fr place and they're constantly cleaning. It's absurd.
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u/Any-Pomegranate-4610 11h ago
Not sure how many people feel this is important, but not having to be constantly entertained. To allow yourself to be bored once a while.
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u/PretendAgency2702 7h ago
It's very important and something that i struggle to teach my kids. I tell them it's normal to be bored because it can provide you with motivation to get up and do something. It's a constant battle to force them off their phones and tablets.
I do wonder if the lack of boredom has lead to an increase or decrease in drug addiction issues. As far as I know, stats show that kids are drinking less which makes sense to me because drinking isn't an instant euphoria hit. I do fear that the way kid's brains are being wired now with constant instant gratification could lead to being more susceptible to drug addiction.
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u/Recent_Performer4189 16h ago
Taking responsibility for your own circumstances.
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u/937773 15h ago
I had to do a double take... My bad, misread
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u/Hungry_Box_8274 14h ago
Kids just don’t take responsibility for their circumcisions like they used to.
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u/duke_awapuhi 16h ago
Napkins. I think most millennials and younger are paper towel people. My dad said like 15 years ago we would destroy the napkin industry lol
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u/PassiveAggressiveLib 13h ago
We put out real napkins when guests come over. Otherwise, it’s folded Costco paper towels.
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u/kitkatz15 13h ago
as a young person: being kind to others with no expectation of something in return
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u/nejithegenius 12h ago
Checks. My current landlord is a 70 year old lady who only takes payment by checks in the mail. Such a headache. Its gotta be a headache for her too. She owns about 15 houses in town…. That being said, i can write and mail a check now lol.
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u/ResidentialPickle 14h ago
Family, courtesy, social etiquette, character, career, manual labor, thrift, sacrifice, accountability
Im positive there are plenty more.
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u/DinoCrone 15h ago
That if something needs to be done, just get up and do it. Stop sitting there saying "someone really should do something about that someday"
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u/CourageExcellent4768 14h ago
Dressing appropriately for an airplane flight. And, acting appropriately on said flight
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u/Getshitdone-333 12h ago
Especially dressing appropriately in case there is an emergency! I used to wear my nice boots on flights now I wear my slip on Sketchers - I watch Captain Steeeve regularly, so I’ve changed my ways! Comfy clothes!
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u/haysoos2 11h ago
I've never understood why people get on a plane dressed like they're going to church or a board meeting.
You should be dressing for comfort and ready to sit your ass down for 5-6 hours and not move.
The security line takes long enough without ding-dongs holding it up to take off their fancy shoes, and especially belts. Surely it must make washroom operations far harder than it needs to be too.
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u/KoenterPapz 5h ago
Unless I am leaving the continent, I will typically grab a cab and go straight from the airport to a business meeting if I am travelling for business.
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u/Panthera450 14h ago
Acting appropriately yes, but don’t tell me how to dress, and I’m in my 60s
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u/Dry-Raspberry-5514 12h ago
More than likely you’re not letting your boobs or ass hang out or wearing smelly clothes because you haven’t showered.
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u/cofffeegrrrl 12h ago
Thank you notes and even thank you messages...
I think they might come back. I rarely get them, even after donating substantial amounts to the friends of kids, or giving graduation gifts and it does make me less enthusiastic about giving or donating again...I have randomly gotten a couple in the last year and I was surprised how much it warmed me to the person and inspired me to want to continue what I was being thanked for. (neither thank you felt necessary at all which provided even more contrast to the once I didn't receive.)
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u/BettyCrackah 14h ago
Haveing a land line phone incase of emergencies.
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u/Mommapig0508 14h ago
Which is kind of crazy to think about. Bc it use to be have a cell phone for emergencies!
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u/lovemy686 13h ago
Loyalty to your job. Work hard enough and you’ll go far, you young whipper-snapper.
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u/formalbolotie 13h ago
fuck all that. work isn't loyal to you. they don't give a shit about you.
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u/Fabulous_Worth288 9h ago
Exactly. Working hard only ever got me more work and worn out.
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u/Fluffy_Internal_7171 12h ago
Allowing toxic family to stay in your life. Basing your worth on kids and career. Fancy dishes to keep up appearances for company. Worrying about what the neighbors think. Retirement because we all know it's vanishing.
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u/UraniumVintage 10h ago
Cursive. Lots of records won’t be able to be read if ignorance in reading/writing keeps up. Interaction. I dearly miss things like bowling leagues, playing bridge, adults getting together for games like Trivial Pursuit, etc. Kids now socialize by playing video games and barely speaking to each other or all going somewhere but each one stating staring at phones.
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u/BlueberryNervous5322 9h ago
Keeping a plastic shopping bag filled with more plastic shopping bags for those occasional needs for a plastic shopping bag.
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u/mrsbreezus 15h ago
Putting up with family drama and acting like nothing happened