upworthy
Pop Culture

The dull side of these 17 'dream jobs' will erase any doubts about your own work life

Every job has its disappointments. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

best jobs 2024, best careers 2024, upcoming jobs, economy
Photo credit: Canva

Maybe there is no such thing as a dream job.

Listen, no job is perfect. Even with what most consider to be a dream gig, there’s bound to be some gap between expectations and reality—be it tedious, but necessary admin work, investments costs, day-to-day stresses, being away from family for extended periods of time…the list goes on.

And that was the topic of conversation led by a recent AskReddit thread, when someone asked:

“What type of job seems appealing but ends up being quite disappointing?”

Out of the 4,700 responses the question garnered, we’ve chosen 17 of the most interesting ones.

While it might at first seem like a bit of a downer to pull back the curtain on some of these vocations, it can also instill a little more appreciation for the folks that manage to actually do them day in and day out.

Without further ado…

1. Librarian

via GIPHY

"I tell people it's my job and they say, 'That must be chill," or, 'I'd love to read all day.' It's basically just another customer service job where I'm either checking books in/out or showing people how to do basic computer things, but we also attract a lot of folks with mental health problems or substance abuse issues, and that can lead to some tense situations."

—u/fourphonejones

"I'm a fellow librarian here, and people are surprised when I tell them this. People idealize libraries as a kind of academic third space, but I always explain it by saying, 'It’s more a community center with a bunch of books than a place to read and do research.'

Like all jobs, it comes down to measuring stats to determine value, even though it's a service. How many computer users did we have? How many people attended our programs? Not so much discussing literature genres and theory. Also, here’s some Narcan, and watch this video on dementia and active shooter situations.

And let’s not get started on the book ban.”

—u/PonyEnglish

2. Florist

via GIPHY

"Working at a flower shop is just like any other retail position, but everyone assumes it’s more enjoyable than it really is. Assisting families in selecting flowers for funerals is definitely not the fun part either."

—u/Serious-Baseball-321

"'I don't care that you're saying you want azaleas, the email specifically said rhododendrons. Yes, I get it's your special day, Janice, but I can't source 34 brand-new centerpieces in the next two hours. Yeah, well, next time communicate with your bridesmaids better. Yes, I was insinuating there will be a next time, because you seem lovely.'"

—u/Worried_Place_917

3. Forensic Scientist

via GIPHY

"A friend of mine is a forensic scientist, and whenever he's on dating apps, it's the only thing people want to talk about. His work is actually pretty technical and involves a lot of routine tasks."

—u/Beneficial-Pop7235

"Former forensic scientist here, it sounds glamorous but often you specialize in one thing like drug analysis or fingerprint analysis and it becomes very repetitive. I was fortunate to be a generalist and did a variety of things."

—u/ironmanchris

4. Personal Trainer

via GIPHY


“Sounds fun, right? Help people exercise all day. Spend time in your already-happy-place - the gym. In reality it's a constant grind to keep getting new people in to replace the ones who drop out suddenly on a whim, or complain about not having enough time, etc etc. They never really put in the true work and focus and expect their hand to be held the whole time. People who can't learn to appreciate the process of losing weight and getting fit.”

—u/relevantelephant00

5. Veterinarian

via GIPHY

"Expectation: Ooo, lots of animals!

Reality: Death. SO MUCH DEATH."

—u/rekniht01

"There's a reason that field has some of the highest suicide rates. I only worked in a pet store, and the number of insane pet parents, abusive/ignorant owners, and pets that were definitely not living their best lives was heartbreaking. Vets get even more angry customers and heartbreaking cases. I befriended a few vet techs and vets, and their mental health is almost always in the dumps."

—u/magicrowantree

6. Security Guard

via GIPHY

"I couldn't believe how lucky I was...getting paid to stand there and do nothing.

Until that job, I had not realized how much I would hate being bored."

—u/series_hybrid

7. Travel Blogger

via GIPHY

"A travel blogger job seems appealing with its promise of adventure and free trips, but it often turns out disappointing due to constant deadlines, unstable income, and the pressure to always 'perform' for social media."

—u/Delilah_KlineXO

…In that same vein…

8. Influencer

via GIPHY

"I know a lot of kids aspire to it, but the idea of having to constantly be on camera and always coming up with new content and always looking and playing the part no matter what seems literally exhausting. Not to mention the fact that you’re an online figure, so you are going to experience abuse and crap from people because that’s what people do online. It’s a hard pass from me."

—u/wellyboot97

9. Rancher/Farmer

via GIPHY

"I cringe every time I see someone say they want to live on a farm or ranch. It's hard, brutal work. Most people that say it will not last."

—u/peezle69

"Every time somebody romanticizes farm life, I think of the time my entire family went on vacation in the middle of winter and left me to take care of the herd. Massive ice storm hit while they were gone. Picture me, a 5'4" woman, alone out in the middle of the prairie in my dad’s overalls and coat, trying to bust ice in the cattle troughs with an ax. Ballerina Farm could never."

—u/jellyrat24

10. Music Store Employee

via GIPHY

"I thought it was going to be listening to awesome music all day. It was just putting stickers on everything, trying to sell an absolute rip-off of a store card, and listening to the same four basic-ass albums over and over and over until you understand why war crimes are a thing."

—u/Comics4Cooks

11. Event Planner

via GIPHY


"Seems exciting until you’re stuck with last-minute changes, unresponsive vendors, and managing everyone’s stress."

—u/Exotic_Insect8587

"I studied event management and I couldn't believe how much red tape and risk management there is. It's like the whole job."

—u/ClammyPlacebo

12. Chef

via GIPHY

"I wanted to be a chef when I was a kid. Now I work in a kitchen and I hate it. The work is harder than you think, a lot of your time is spent doing mundane tasks, and you practically live there so no work-life balance.

Although all the chefs I know that 'made it' make quite a bit of money, they were so hard on their bodies from lack of sleep and drinking that they can’t enjoy their life after they retire. Their friends were reduced to their drinking buddies because they were the only ones who were available after closing.

Those who had families had strained relationships with their children and wives. Super sad."

—u/Dry-Substance3260

13. Film Crew

via GIPHY

"Don't get me wrong, I love it, but after five years I can already tell my body will not be able to keep up with it till retirement."

—u/Flanman1337

"The hours that people in this industry work are completely insane. I'm talking everything from set building to cameras to makeup to the damn accountants. Our hotels offered free breakfast and even light dinners, and we almost never saw them."

—u/lovebyletters

14. Video Game Developer

via GIPHY

"Video games are great. Creating them is hell with long work hours and minimum pay."

—u/The1joriss

15. College Professor

via GIPHY

"Much less lecturing on profound topics of importance, much more trying to keep your course running properly on Canvas than expected..."

—u/PuzzleheadedPin1817

16. Archeologist

via GIPHY

"When I was an undergrad, it was so exciting. A different dig every summer… different eras, different cultures, different countries, different crews, so much to learn! But I figured out in grad school pretty quickly that it was 90% begging for money for your project while having to juggle teaching first-year yokels at some school in a part of the country you never wanted to visit — let alone live — and 10% using a toothbrush on the same patch of dirt that no one was ever going to be interested in for the rest of your life."

—u/SnappyTippyTappies

17. Social Media Manager

via GIPHY

"Thought it’d be memes and chill, turns out it’s dealing with 2 a.m. crises over emojis."

—u/SunbeamHeart

"Even if I'm at home and on my social media privately, I can't not see what people are trying to sell, product or way of life, or what trend they are hopping on. It's handy since I can spot a scam but also a balls because I don't really enjoy social media like normal."

—u/isaidyothnkubttrgo

And as a positive bonus, we’ve added in a few jobs people said might seem UNappealing but are actually not half bad!

1. Data analyst

“Definitely not exciting to talk about and I live in spreadsheets but it's honestly a lot like doing puzzles, lots of problem solving.”

—u/DrunkenJetPilot

2. Financial analyst

"This is the best job I've ever had. I'm always looking for more projects, because I love that initial rush of looking at all the angles, and trying new things to figure out this particular issue. And then when you create something really cool that makes people's lives easier, amazing. A very satisfying job with lots of appreciation."

—u/WalmartGreder

3. Urban Forester

“I’m a forester who got into that line because I liked physical outdoor labor, but moved into the more technical side of urban forestry because I don’t want to be doing physical labor when I’m 50.

Don’t tell my forester friends this but I’ve fallen hard for spreadsheets. I just set up a 5 tab sheet that’s all interlinked and I feel like I just created a miniature universe. It’s fascinating.

And I have a MiFi so I can work spreadsheets outside under trees. Life is good!” —u/TheMonkus

Let's face it—humans need novelty, relaxation, creative expression, stimulation, opportunities to learn. No job can fulfill all these needs. Maybe we're better off accepting that as long as we're getting these needs met in other ways, then maybe we're not doing so bad after all.

From Your Site Articles
community
Education

One teacher's simple, disgusting experiment drives home the importance of hand washing

"Hand sanitizer is not an alternative to washing hands!"

Facebook/Jaralee Metcalf

Simple. Disgusting. Informative.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in preventing the spread of illnesses and infections in hospitals was embarrassingly simple: hand washing. In 1846, Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that hand washing played a vital role in the spread of germs, and the practice soon became mandatory in hospitals. The simple act of scrubbing hands with soap and water literally saved lives.

Getting a kid to wash their hands, however, can be an uphill battle. While it's a common thing kids (don't) do, global perspective on the importance and effectiveness of hand washing has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in 2023, before the emergence of COVID-19, a survey found that only about 36% of people always washed their hands with soap, 48% sometimes used soap, and an unsettling 16% of respondents said they wash without soap. After COVID-19 emerged, however, more than 72% of respondents reported using soap every time they washed their hands. There's nothing like a pandemic (and perhaps the reality of FAFO) to strike fear into the hearts of those chronic under washers, but in 2019, one teacher did a simple experiment to show her students just how important hand washing is.

"We did a science project in class this last month as flu season was starting," teacher Dayna Robertson and classroom behavioral specialist Jaralee Metcalf wrote on Facebook. "We took fresh bread and touched it. We did one slice untouched. One with unwashed hands. One with hand sanitizer. One with washed hands with warm water and soap. Then we decided to rub a piece on all our classroom Chromebooks." Robertson later noted that they normally do make a point to sanitize the classroom Chromebooks, but didn't that day in the name of science.

science, experiment, dexter's lab, cartoon, kids, hygiene Dexters Laboratory What A Fine Day For Science GIFGiphy

The bread was put into plastic bags and the germs were left to fester. The bread that had been touched by unwashed hands and the bread that had touched the Chromebook had the most mold. The bread that had been touched by hands washed with soap and water remained (relatively) good enough to eat.

This experiment has been done before, but Robertson expanded on it by testing the effectiveness of hand sanitizer. The bread that had been touched by hands cleaned with sanitizer also had a fair amount of mold on it, although not as much as the bread touched by unwashed hands.

bread, mold, experiment, education, hand washing, cleanlinessThe bread doesn't lie. Facebook/Jaralee Metcalf

"As somebody who is sick and tired of being sick and tired of being sick and tired," Robertson wrote, "wash your hands! Remind your kids to wash their hands! And hand sanitizer is not an alternative to washing hands!! At all!" It's kind of making us retroactively gag over seeing port-a-potties with hand sanitizer set up in lieu of sinks.

The experiment was prompted by a different science lesson. "We had just finished a science lesson on how leaves break down during winter. The kids were kind of grossed out by the mold, so we decided to run our own version using germs and mold from our own environment," Robertson told Scary Mommy.

Weirdly, the classroom experiment received some criticism. "Lots of people actually DEFENDED not washing their hands!" Robertson told Scary Mommy. "That was shocking! It really was just a simple classroom experiment to teach about mold but we have all learned more about how easily we can spread the germs we can't see."

In the 2019 lens, this lesson being about mold seems simple enough. All of us here in 2025, though, blessed (or cursed) with the experience of the pandemic, know that washing your hands really is as life-saving as Semmelweis proved nearly two centuries ago. Research done in 2020 and published in PubMed showed that individuals who washed their hands consistently were more likely to have lower rates of COVID-19 infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2024, hand washing also reduces respiratory illness like colds and flu in the general population by 16-21%, and reduces the number of people with diarrheal illnesses by 23-40%.

And to be sure, how we wash our hands is incredibly important. A quick rinse without scrubbing won't do the trick. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the proper technique for handwashing is to wet your hands, apply soap, and then run your soapy hands under the stream while rotating, rubbing, and scrubbing every inch of your hands for at least 20 seconds. Usually you can hit that mark by singing "Happy Birthday" twice. Then, rinse. When you're done, dry your hands with a clean towel. Check out this demonstration from the CDC:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The moral of the story is, please, please remember to always wash your hands. It really makes a difference.

This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.

From Your Site Articles
hand washing experiment
Modern Families

Man hilariously calls out why the trend of giving babies 'old people names' has got to go

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.”

@mannybuckley/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

Someone finally said what we're all thinking.

Listen, baby name trends come and go. What was once a hip and cool name will eventually be seen as passé (this coming from someone with a name that is now obsolete, apparently) and names once thought of as old-fashioned will absolutely become cool again. It’s part of the circle of life, like the tides, the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun…accept it.

In fact, this comeback is already happening. According to the Social Security Administration, vintage names like Theodore, Henry, Willam, Charlotte, Evelyn, and Emma are among the top ten most popular baby names of the moment. Jimmy Fallon’s daughters are named Winnie and Frances, for crying out loud.

However, just because there’s been an uptick in names that harken you back to a time when “good show, old sport” was a common phrase, not everyone is on board. Recently, content creator Manny Buckley hilariously put into words what many of us think of these WWII era names.

In a clip posted to his TikTok, Buckley first savagely said, “Y’all went from naming all y’all’s kids Jayden, Cayden, and Aiden, Madison, Addison, and Addylyn to giving them all old people names.” He then recounted being on a train and hearing another call after her toddler, whose name was George.

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.” Where’s the lie?

@mannybuckley What is this cycle of naming kids!? #names #naming #name ♬ original sound - 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝔹𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕪

He didn’t stop there, going on a lighthearted rant about the types of images certain now-popular names actually evoke, like Agnes (a “Florida retiree in her 70s who cannot leave the retirement home”), Ira (an “80 year old Jewish man”), Belinda (a “registered nurse who has been working in the field for 50 years”), and Clifford (a 85-year-old navy vet who needs “all y'all to be quiet”). Nary a kid sounding name in sight, if you ask him.

Though the video was clearly just a lighthearted jab, a few adults came into the comments to defend the use of vintage names.

“We aren’t naming babies. We’re naming people,” one top comment wrote, while another seconded, “Exactly! Some people don’t realize this. They are kids for a very short period of time, then they are adults.”

Still, another quipped, “yeah, but they aren’t senior citizens forever either!” Another wrote “I’m Martha…I’ve been 80 since the first grade.”

A few others, particularly teachers, chimed in with their own equally funny experience of kids having old fashioned names.

I am a kindergarten teacher. I have Marjorie and Brenda. It’s like a 1950’s secretarial pool.

I have kindergarteners named Edyth, Arthur, and Iris. They’re going to form a knitting club at recess.”

“My nephew is Charles lmao and he may only be 2.5, but he is the school maintenance and everyone call uncle.”

“We have Matilda and Cordelia, 4 and 2, shelling beans on the porch. Their nicknames are just as old, Tilly and Della. I love them though.”

And there you have it, folks. We have indeed come full circle. But is it any weirder than the thought of someone calling their Grandma Brittany? I think not.

This article originally appeared in February

From Your Site Articles
humor
Internet

A nail salon made an ad so funny that people are taking road trips just for a manicure

Nailed it.

Representative photos by Wonderlane|Flickr and Aris Leoven|Canva

This Canadian nail salon has people packing their bags for a manicure

There are a lot of nail salons out there and, without word of mouth recommendations from people you trust, it can be impossible to know which salon to visit. Thanks to social media, though, many businesses have pages where they can advertise their services without having to spend a lot of money on traditional marketing practices like television, billboards, and radio. Doing their marketing using pictures and videos of their amazing work can help keep a steady flow of customers coming—but one Canadian nail salon is going with a slightly different approach.

Henry Pro Nails in Toronto, Canada is leaving the Internet in stitches after creating a viral ad for his nail salon. The video takes the beginnings of several viral video clips but instead of the expected ending, Henry pops in completing the viral moment in hilarious different ways.

It opens with a familiar viral video of a man on a stretcher being pulled by EMS when the stretcher overturns, flopping the man onto the ground. But instead of it ending with the injured man on the ground, Henry seamlessly appears laid out on the floor of his salon and delivers his first line, "Come to my nail salon. Your nails will look beautiful."

nails, nail salon, manicure, henry's pro nails, adsRihanna Nails GIFGiphy

In another clip, a man holds his leg straight up and somehow flips himself into a split. When the camera cuts back to Henry, he's in the splits on the floor of his nail salon promoting loyalty discounts. The ad is insanely creative and people in the comments can't get enough. Some are even planning a trip to Toronto just to get their nails done by the now Internet famous top nail artist in Canada. This isn't Henry's first rodeo making creative ads, but this is one is without a doubt his most popular—and effective.

"I will fly to Canada to get my nails done here just because of this hilarious video. You win this trend for sure," one woman says.

"Get yourself a passport and make a road trip! My bf and I are legit getting ours and its only a 4 hr drive from where we are in Pennsylvania. Their prices are a lot better than other places I've been too," another person says while convincing a fellow American citizen to make the trip.

"Omg, where are you located? I would fly to get my nails done by you," one person writes.

"The pedicure I had at Henry’s was the best I have ever had. Unfortunately made all other places disappointing and I don’t live close enough for Henry’s to be my regular spot," someone else shares.

To keep up with demand, in late October 2024 Henry's announced another location was coming soon in Vaughan, Ontario. Though there's no word on when the new "more spacious and professional facility" is opening just yet, customers can keep an eye out for Henry's next ad on social media.

It just goes to show that creative advertising can get people to go just about anywhere, but great service is what gets them to come back. If you're ever in Toronto (or Vaughan!) and find yourself needing an emergency manicure, Henry's Pro Nails is apparently the place to be.

This article originally appeared last year.

From Your Site Articles
nail salon
Joy

Adorable Golden Retriever absolutely loses it when he runs into his vet at a bar

No one has ever been this excited to see their doctor.

@cosmo_andtheoddparents/TikTok

He wuvs his vet.

Not every dog might jump with joy after seeing their vet out in public. But for Cosmo the Golden Retriever, it was practically Christmas all over again when he spotted his own vet, Dr. Jones, at a brewery.

In an adorable clip posted to TikTok, we see Cosmo in pure, unadulterated bliss as he snuggles with an equally happy Dr. Jones, who, considering he’s still in his scrubs, might have just gotten out of work to grab a quick pint.

Watch:

@cosmo_andtheoddparents When you run into your vet in public #goldenretrieversoftiktok #vetlife #animallovers #petparents #goldenretriever #goldenretrievers #doglife #dogmom #dailyfluff #charlestondogs #doglover #charlestondog #brewerydog ♬ original sound - Cosmo

Ugh, the cuteness is too much to handle! People in the comments could barely contain their secondhand joy.

“He looked over like, “Mom, do you see who this is?” one person wrote, while another said, “What in the Hallmark movie? Adorable!!”

One person even joked, “Did we all check the vet’s hand for a wedding ring? (Said as a married woman. Looking out for you all, or something.)”

According to Hannah Dweikat, Cosmo’s owner, the two actually share quite a history. She tells Upworthy that when Cosmo was but a wee pup, he “gave a scare” after eating a Sago Palm seed, which are highly toxic to dogs, from a plant in their backyard, which of course resulted in him being rushed to the animal hospital and staying there over the weekend.

While that’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare, and certainly a scary situation for the poor fur baby, Dweikat says that “the calm and patient demeanor” of Dr. Jones and his staff put Cosmo at ease. And because of this, “Cosmo has always loved going to see his friends—especially because they give him lots of treats and snuggles.”

Cosmo and Dr. Jones’ buddyship has also blossomed thanks to proximity, as Dweikat only lives down the street from the clinic. “Which means we get to see Dr. Jones and his staff out in public at times and Cosmo takes every chance he can get to say hi,” she explains. This time, however, she was able to capture it all on video. Yay for us!

What makes a good vet?

While not every vet, however gifted, will be able to elicit this type of reaction from their patients, having a calming presence like Dr. Jones is certainly a good sign for pet owners to be on the lookout for when shopping around for their own vet. But that’s not the only quality a good vet needs. According to Saint Matthews University, a vet also needs to have high stamina (both physically and mentally), as well as an ability to tolerate unpleasant situations (you can’t faint at the sight of blood or vomit), a high level of emotional intelligence (maybe all doctors should possess this skill, but especially those who work with animals), adaptability, a sense of enthusiasm, and finally, excellent communication skills.

Dr. Jones seems to have these attributes in spades, and his patients clearly love him for it. None so much as Cosmo, obviously.

By the way, if you’re in need of even more content featuring this precious pup, you can follow Cosmo on both TikTok and Instagram.

This article originally appeared in February

From Your Site Articles
dogs
Pop Culture

My Gen Z kids see periods in my texts as 'aggressive.' No. They're not. Full stop. The end.

This is one Gen X hill I am willing to die on.

Photo credit: Canva

If you want to freak out a Gen Zer, put a period at the end of a text message.

As a Gen X mom of three Gen Z kids in their teens and 20s, there's a lot that I'm willing to concede and even celebrate when it comes to the gap in our generations. I love Gen Z's global consciousness, their openness about mental health, their focus on inclusivity, and their insistence on wearing comfortable shoes with formal wear. But there's one Gen Z feature that I simply cannot abide, and that is the weaponization of basic punctuation.

"It freaks me out when you say 'yes period' in a text," my high schooler told me one day. "It feels so aggressive, like I feel like I'm in trouble or something." I stared at him incredulously as my 20-year-old laughed but then agreed with him. "It does! The period makes it feel like you're mad," she said.

Ah yes, the period, the punctuation mark famous for its aggressive connotation. Far from being a mere generational quirk, this misinterpreting of benign text messages as aggressive or angry could result in serious communication breakdowns. Talking by text is already hard enough, and now we're adding a layer of meaning that older folks don't have a clue about?

text screenshotA Gen X text convo with Gen ZPhoto credit: Annie Reneau

The kids are serious about this, though. According to Gen Zers, pretty much any time someone puts a period at the end of a text, it means they're mad or irritated. At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur, I'd like to point out that reading into periods in texts like this is just silly. It's silly when the young folks do it with each other, but it's extra silly when they do it with adults who didn't grow up with texting and have ingrained grammatical habits that aren't easy to shake. (And frankly, some of us don't want to shake—I'm a former English teacher, for crying out loud.)

In no reasonable world can "Yes." be automatically viewed as aggressive. It's just not. Neither is "Time to get off the computer." Neither is "Got it." Or "OK." or "Sure." I understand that texting conventions have evolved such that end punctuation isn't necessary, but when did we start assigning negative intentions to very basic punctuation? I mean, if I wanted to be aggressive, I'd text, "HEY—time to GET OFF the COMPUTER!" A period should not be read as anything more than a matter-of-fact, neutral-toned statement. We have other tools for conveying tone in writing—capital letters, italics, bold, exclamation points, and now a whole slew of emojis. A period is and has always been neutral. That's literally the entire point of a period.

I'm even willing to give Gen Z an inch on the thumbs-up emoji—they think that's aggressive, too—only because emojis are new and their meanings are up for interpretation. But a period? Not budging. That little dot has been signaling the end of people's thoughts for centuries. Periods can and do sometimes affect tone in subtle ways—"No, I didn't," hits slightly differently than "No. I didn't."—but their basic inclusion at the end of a thought in no way signals aggression or anger, by text or otherwise. Not on Gen X's watch, at least. This is one generational hill I am willing to die on.

Oh Yeah Mic Drop GIF by Taylor BisciottiGiphy

These unwritten rules of texting seem to have been concocted by Gen Z, but when? And how? Who decides these things? Is there a group of super powerful and influential young adults who put out a bat signal at some point saying that periods are symbols of aggression? If the young folks want to play the reading-into-basic-punctuation game amongst themselves, making communication much more complicated for themselves, have at it. But please don't ascribe intent to us old fogies who've had "declarative statements end in periods" ingrained in us since elementary school.

Texting wasn't always like this. When texting first became a thing, using periods in them was pretty normal. As more and more people started dropping them (and capitalization—another deep English teacher wound), I held firm to their usage, mostly out of habit and feeling like my texts were incomplete without them. As my kids got old enough to text and informed me that periods are viewed by their age group as aggressive, I reconsidered. Should I stop using them, giving in to the tyranny of Gen Z's overthinking? Should I keep using them, embracing the fact that I'm old and set in my ways?

Ultimately, I landed on sometimes using periods in texts and sometimes not—a compromise between my own rigid grammar rules and Gen Z's seemingly senseless texting rules. Except only using them sometimes just confuses my kids even more, which is hilarious. Is Mom mad? Is she not? My daughter said she just has to remind herself who is texting, knowing that I—and most of my generation—simply don't use periods aggressively.

Nope. Not happening. Not ever. Period.

This article originally appeared in February.

From Your Site Articles
generation gap
Trending Stories