I posted this elsewhere and thought I’d put it here too.

Yes, 1981-1985 borns are technically Millennials. However, those of us turning 35-40 this year are often thought of as more like Gen-X than we are Millennials. In fact, so many of us think we are younger X’ers rather than elder Millennials. We too have the same complaints about Millennials that others do. My point is that our age group often has nothing to do with what people are complaining about when it comes to Millennials. We don’t call anyone “Karens” nor are we known for blaming Boomers for anything. So much that has been written or spoken about Millennials revolves around younger Millennials. We, however, have been known for keeping our heads down and doing as we’re told, often confused why those younger than us can’t do the same and now we’re wondering why we’re suddenly getting blamed for the sins of our younger counterparts. We are usually invisible and ignored. Only now that we’re turning 40 or approaching 40 are we suddenly in the headlines and the press about us isn’t good only because we’re suddenly getting attached to the faults of those born after us.

I’ll say this too: many Millennials younger than the 35-40 range display the positive characteristics of the Millennial generation rather than the negative ones. Unfortunately, the negative stereotypes get all the press.

Speaking for myself, I am both Xennial and an Elder Millennial and I’m proud to be both! It’s not like I could go back and change my birth year if I weren’t anyway.