A Gen X vs. Millennial Clash

The Incident: Corn, Kids, and a Tricycle Ride into the Parenting Debate

Recently, my aunt came home fuming. She had just experienced what she called a “blessedly annoying” encounter with modern parenting, and she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

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The Corn Saga

It happened on a regular afternoon. My aunt, a proud Gen X woman, boarded a keke (tricycle) one afternoon, happily nibbling on roasted corn. Then, a young Millennial mother sat beside her, holding a toddler. Almost immediately, the child reached for my aunt’s corn.

My aunt gently pulled it away, thinking the mother would step in to correct the child, as was customary.

Now, in the Gen X playbook, this was an easy fix:

• The Look (a silent, withering stare that communicated, “Try it and see what happens”).
• A sharp, “Don’t touch what isn’t yours!” from the mother.

But none of that happened.

The child reached again. And again.
Still no correction. No eye contact. Not even a polite “sorry.”

My aunt eventually addressed the mother, who — brace yourself — told her to “just give the child the corn; she won’t stop till she gets it.”