NOT Skibidi Toilet Ohio

I have been busy this summer doing what I love the most…hanging out with kids in nature. Lately, I have been leading them on boat adventures with Jocassee Lake Tours. Twice this week I have been hugged by 11-year-old kids who had no clue who I was before they got on my boat. How lucky I am! These 10-12 year old kids are the leaders of Generation Alpha, an intriguing generation, one predicted to live longer, and be more intelligent and emotionally savvy than all of us. They are born into a world where unlimited information is accessible and technology is part of their language. It has become a part of how their brains develop. They have a language and a speed all their own. Their language is perplexing and their speed is full on.

If you are around this age group, you have, no doubt, heard their slang being tossed around like a word salad. Their slang game is, to throwback to my Princess Bride generation…Inconceivable! Words like ‘rizz’, ‘sigma’, and even secret hand signals communicate clear messages…if you are 12. Parents need a Duolingo course to understand what their children are saying. Teachers are sliding cheat sheets in the breakrooms.

Generation Alpha is also a high dopamine generation. The video games they can often be found immersed in provide big boosts of daily dopamine. In addition, the culture they live in is a culture of ‘how exciting can we make it’. If it is not epic, they are not interested. Slow time in nature does not sound epic to this generation.

We are all struggling to understand what the world even looks like from their eyes. It is tempting to despair.

What I have found though, is that all kids, no matter the generation, are still the same when they are exposed to nature, and especially the Jocassee Gorges. And it is epic! If they were characters in a game, you would see their life force rising. The language of awe, discovery, and pure joy is universal and timeless. In a world where generations have such great divides, it is my pleasure to be in a space that unites us all and brings out the best in us.

For all the times I hear older people worry over the upcoming generations, I continue to see them in their best light. And they just are not as ‘skibidi toilet Ohio’ (basically, hopelessly can’t get it right) as you might think they are. In fact, all you grown-ups out there take heart! Generation Alpha is compassionate, curious, fearless, and smart. They just might be the GOAT (greatest of all time)!