The CLEAN generations...us Villagers?
 

I think we Villagers come from a group of people who kept themselves and their homes and their children very clean and orderly.

What do you have to say about this? Have times changed?

I still see a lot of well kept homes on the outside and visit a lot of well kept homes on the inside here in The Villages. I haven't been in anyone's home that was dingy or not well ordered here.

Are we too scrupulous as a group or just right? How do our children and grandchildren approach this subject? Were we silly or right about our standards for cleanliness of boomers or better?

What is this?

A topic for discussion. Not bullying or criticizing. A topic about people and how they do things that may be generational.

I think young people don't have TIME to keep up a house like we did, and maybe it isn't important.

Well, we lived in caves for a long time.

Strange but True: Antibacterial Products May Do More Harm Than Good - Scientific American

Is having pets dirty?

Of course, but well worth it


Do you think people do the right thing wiping off the cart at Publix before using it?

One of the more ridiculous things I see. I contacted more "germs" in 10 minutes of work than a grocery shopper could get from a cart in a lifetime. (My opinion subject to change if there is a pandemic of pneumonic plague)


How clean are most people?

Probably a double bell curve----1/2 the population centered at 3 1/2 out of 10, and the other half at 8 1/2.

I wipe the cart handle, shop, then take my filthy germ ridden change directly from the cashiers hand without giving it a thought.

That's after buying tomatoes, apples, lettuce etc. that dozens of people have picked through before you. Kind of like the waiter who serves your soup by putting his thumb in it.

But then think about what you are bringing it home to:

Where the most germs lurk in your home - CBS News

Funny you should bring this up, Gracie, as it was a topic for discussion among my siblings this weekend when discussing the "old days". Although my parents both worked full-time, opposite shifts so as to rarely leave us with someone else, my mother kept a very clean and orderly house and had a meal on the table every evening before leaving for work. (Can you tell that she's my hero?) We were also blessed with a lot of love.

Anyway, my older brother and I were talking about how we were never allowed to do anything over the weekend until our beds were stripped and sheets changed and our rooms were dusted and swept, besides other chores throughout the week. What I realized was that my mother was not just teaching us ordinary household skills, but more importantly, it taught us discipline and responsibility. To this day, I love having a clean and orderly house. I don't obsess about it, but I find that it keeps me more clear headed and focused (and as I get older, I can actually find things - big plus!!)

I don't think the younger generation is as focused on that though. Seems like they are so busy with careers and such that it is not as much a priority. My son thinks I focused too much on that sometimes, but I often wonder if this adds to the higher anxiety levels of a lot of the younger generation. Like I said, I think it's much more than just about cleanliness, it's also about order and discipline and accomplishment, for example. I remember recently viewing a video of a former navy seal and he was explaining the reasons to continue to get up every morning at the same time and make your bed first thing, even in retirement. According to him besides promoting discipline, it starts your day out with already accomplishing something which sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Yes but........I still dust my baseboards before company comes. As I have done for years. I am saying it is a generational thing. My grandchildren don't know what a baseboard is and they are successful adults.

Why I now eschew lemon wedges in my iced tea.

Bacteria on Lemon Slices - Dirty Lemon Wedges at Restaurants

I think this is a great question Gracie but I have a zero answer. I have 3 siblings. We all grew up in the same house. My brother and I lean to the neat side. One sister has stuff thrown everywhere yet it is clean. My other sister is a complete slob. Maybe it is a predisposition?

I do think people are born with a somewhat fixed personality. I was thinking of what used to be the norm. When we would host card club as twenty somethings, it required a major, major effort...back then.

I belonged to the generation whose mom washed on Monday, ironed on Tuesday...etc. BUT when I was a kid we washed our hair every day but didn't always shower or bathe every day. We washed up as far as possible. ;)

I think the principle of your post is flawed. No Villagers are not cleaner except for self selection. Villagers are willing to live in a community that requires neat exteriors of their homes. Residents chose this location, we self selected to live close to people like ourselves. Witness the percentage of people of color here. Further, Villagers on the whole are wealthier than the average retiree. So we have the income to maintain property.

Now if the topic is are Villagers cleaner than other retirees in planned communities of similar value?, that is a another discussion.

I personally believe that a lot, but not all, kids today don't have the same morals or hold the same values that we, as their parents, do.

Although most of us, but not all, tried to raise our children with the same standards as we were raised, societies standards today are so different. For the most part, the "younger generation" doesn't keep their yards as nice or their houses as clean.