"Parade Magazine" recently ran an article on the quagmire many us face: What is the proper "name" for the stage of life so many of us 50-and-up find ourselves in? Personally, I think of myself as a Gently Aging Baby Boomer, kind of like a gently-used car. I chuckled at the new names and acronyms that many of the readers came up with, like Boomerangs, Recycled Teenagers, OWLS (Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls) and one of my favorites: APAL (Aging Persons with Active Lifestyles). Spare me the depressing labels please. The best one I found for the age period between 60 and 80 is Prime Time.

With all the energy spent on finding the proper terminology to describe what happens to you when your tush has settled happily somewhere close to your knees, you'd think that we'd be able to do away with the word and concept of "age" altogether. After all, aren't we so often told that age is a state of mind, and that we're only as old as we feel?

Alas, the naming thing just won't go away. We are a pretty ego-centered bunch, or at least that's what all of our high-priced therapists have told us, so I suppose we should just get used to it.

"Supposedly, the X'ers are a generation of 'flannel-wearing, alienated, overeducated, underachieving slackers who drink franchise store coffee and work at McJobs.' That might be generalizing a bit."

Folks our parents' age are probably the last set of humans in the Western world who don't seem to care about how they define themselves, although that hasn't stopped others from labeling them. Tom Brokaw refers to this age set as the Greatest Generation (how's that for some shoes to fill?), while others call them Depression Babies. My sense is that regardless of the heady or tragic associations, this has no meaning to the group of people now pushing or comfortably settled into age 80. They are simply mom and dad; they worked hard, saved as they could and made certain their children had all this wonderful country has to offer.

How do the other generations compare? We have the "X" generation; these are our kids, most grown with children of their own. They are our high-tech offspring who grew up in an era of television, video conferencing and text messaging, instant communications, cell phones, MP3 players, blackberries, palms and the entire botanical kingdom at their finger tips.

I like the definition for these kids (even at 35, they're still kids!) that I found on the internet (www.wikipedia.com). Supposedly, the X'ers are a generation of "flannel-wearing, alienated, overeducated, underachieving slackers who drink franchise store coffee and work at McJobs." That might be generalizing a bit, but it does seem as though quite a few of my friends have grown children still at home. I'm not entirely convinced they're hanging around to take care of their parents as they age, perish the thought!

I like to think of the newest generation as the Age of Entitlement. These are today's kids, for many of us, grandchildren of ages up to 18 or 20 who have this warped idea that the world owes them something. What could they be thinking? I'm one of those old-fashioned people who prescribe to the theory that you have to earn your way, that Guess? is a question, not a status symbol, and MOM does not stand for Made Of Money. My favorite expression when my children were growing up was, "What part of me says Bank of America?" Now it's my children's turn to say that to their own offspring. It's the old "reap what you sow" concept in action. Walk the malls and stores that cater to young people and you be the judge.

I'm stymied thinking of how we came so far in such little time. It's been 60 years since the boomers started arriving, and in those few short years the world has changed forever.

The one disconcerting thought I have when I speak of generational differences is that our X Generation's offspring are tomorrow's leaders who will sign our social security checks and make laws governing our final years. Now who's laughing?


Surprisingly enough, Ann's not as bitter and pessimistic as she sounds. E-mail her at afogle@insidescv.com to give her a boost regardless, especially if your 30-year-old kid has finally left home and you want to celebrate.