Episode Details

You know that one sibling who grew up in the same house but somehow got a completely different childhood? Heather’s sister Jessica joins us as our late Gen X, 1979-born “cusp” kid, and we get honest about what changed between our eras and what stayed exactly the same. We talk feral independence, family weirdness, and the kind of small-town freedom that meant you were either outside all day or getting yelled “in or out” from the doorway. 

Jessica takes us through her version of growing up: being the social one, shutting down bullies, living for 90s nostalgia, and loving the classic staples like Barbie gear, Popples, Pound Puppies, and Delia’s catalog style. We also hit the oddly practical side of life before always-on internet, including mail-order patience, rural logistics, and even a surprisingly useful USPS tip about getting stamps from your mail carrier. If you miss the pre-streaming, pre-smartphone world, this conversation will feel like a time capsule with sharp edges. 

Then we fast-forward to adulthood: how Gen X parenting values show up when your kids are older, why trust matters more than hovering, and what it feels like watching milestones like turning 21 or graduating hit your own sense of time. We close with family movie memories, aging-parent reality, and the big takeaway that growing up feral taught us more than we realized. Subscribe, share with a fellow Gen Xer or Xennial, and leave a review, then tell us what’s your most “feral kid” story?

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