Those Darn Teenyboppers!

Those darn teenyboppers are back! We begin life as infants and become infant-like in late-life. On the way to late-life, perhaps we pass through the Teenybopper years. As a young boy during the 60’s I recall the time when my father used to grumble beneath his voice, “That darn Teenybopper.” On occasions when things did not go well after a Teenybopper encounter he would add, “Those darn Teenyboppers, they mess everything up.”

I thought at that time the Teenybopper was some kind of major social problem. No one could get away from the Teenybopper as it seemed they were everywhere working in fast food, checkouts in grocery and retail stores, at the swimming pools. They even had environmental concerns performing yard work and collecting redeemable bottles. Many times because of their inexperience, happy-go-lucky style, and carefree ways; things would get screwed up and frustrations would run high amongst older people. Based on my father’s frustration with them, I thought the Teenyboppers were ripe for unleashing civil disobedience riots that were common in those days.

As I grew older, I learned the term Teenybopper is used to describe those years between childhood adolescence and adult life when people cling onto their childhood innocence and excitement, yet are expected to behave more seriously. Nonetheless, the term was attached to baby boomers especially during the 1960’s as a catch phrase. It showed up in their music groups uniquely like the Beatles, Monkeys, and Archies who often appealed to the Teenybopper.

Some 40 years have gone by and those darn Teenyboppers are back. Today, I visit stores and restaurants where the clerks are not so young anymore. Incredibly, life has not seemed to teach them much and the happy-go-lucky zeal has turned a little cranky. Recently, while at a retail outlet the checkout clerk was a baby boomer in her late 50’s, possibly early 60's. She complained that the credit card swiper did not work, she had been on her feet way too long, her back hurt, and the merchandise I bought was too much work for her.  Frustrated by technology, the clerk asked the much younger manager to clear the register in order to ‘ring’ the purchase a second time.

Meanwhile, the line behind me lengthened. As mumblings grew louder she remarked, “I was working check outs before you were in diapers, honey.” Then cocking her head to one side, she handed me my purchase and smiled as though she had never uttered a cranky note singing, ”Have a nice day.” As I walked away I mumbled, ‘Those Darn Teenyboppers’. Then I paused for a moment wondering if she waited on my father some 40 years ago?

Note: This was written during 2003 after a trip the the local Bed, Bath, and Beyond. While checking out, I was inspired by the older New York twanged female grumpy cashier who had a heavily wrinkled face, bright red lipstick, and wiry hair that was overly buffed up. She actually did act out these events.