You've Come A Long Way, Baby

We’re over halfway through 2014. Since it has been 50 years since 1964, I think that this calls for a shout out to some special people in our lives who are celebrating special anniversaries. While the baby boomers in particular have special affection for these milestones, these anniversaries are uniquely American and nobody else in any other country can lay claim to them. So bring out the champagne and let us raise a toast to Mustangs, astronauts, civil rights and everything else that the boomers have brought us! True, we have been celebrating the 50^th anniversary accomplishments of the baby boomer generations for the past several years and will continue to celebrate 50th anniversaries for the next several years. But the seemingly never-ending arrival of the anniversaries of their achievements doesn’t mean that we have any less of a reason to celebrate.

They say that there are around 76 million baby boomers between the ages of 50 and 68. The ‘60s were a turbulent decade. Along with the craziness, there was an onslaught of positive developments and grand leaps forward.  Particularly noteworthy, this year marks the 50^th anniversary of the first Ford Mustang, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Beatle’s first North American tour. Ford boldly kicked off 50^th anniversary celebrations in April by assembling a Mustang on top of the Empire State Building in recognition of the car that was assembled there 50 years earlier. Ford is supposed to release 1,964 special edition Mustangs in commemoration of the landmark this fall. Also in April, a Civil Rights Summit was held at the LBJ Presidential Library in Texas in commemoration of the 50 years since the act. CBS news compiled some highlights of theBeatles first tour in North America.

You can see Ford management behind the scenes as they walk through the significance of the event and the steps they took to get the car to the top of NYC in the clip below. 

Some say that there is a generational divide. Some lay blame on the baby boomers for the financial crises or the setbacks in the economy. The baby boomers turn that back around and call out the younger generation for being entitled. At the end of the day, any generational gaps that exist can be overcome because of mutual interests. Take advantage of those opportunities to engage in activities that both sides enjoy.

Go ahead and take out some time to hang out with the baby boomer in your life. Even if you both are together on a regular basis, sometimes the routine of being together becomes exactly that: routine. There is no reason why the little things in life can’t be done together one Saturday afternoon. Sign up for a 5K race and walk (or run) to the finish, pump iron at the gym, paint nails, bake cookies, go to a local car show…the options are endless. Or if you’re the baby boomer, take out the record player and put on the Beatles and tell the younger generation what the ‘60s were like from your perspective.  

This blog was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.