MomSkoop
Every generation has its quirks, but some habits from Boomers and Gen X have a special talent for making younger people do a double-take. Whether it’s the way they text, talk on the phone, or handle technology, these behaviors can feel oddly out of place in today’s fast-moving world.
None of it comes from bad intentions, of course, but that doesn’t make it any less awkward to witness. Here’s a look at some of the most cringe-worthy habits that still pop up today.
1. Typing “LOL” Without Actually Laughing
Picture this: someone sends a totally normal text and ends it with “LOL” while wearing a completely straight face.
For younger generations, LOL is a genuine laugh reaction.
But for many Boomers and Gen Xers, it somehow became a punctuation mark somewhere along the way.
You’ll see it at the end of sentences that have nothing remotely funny about them. “I went to the grocery store today.
LOL.” It’s confusing, a little strange, and honestly kind of hilarious on its own.
If you’re going to use it, maybe save it for something that actually made you laugh out loud.
2. Overusing Ellipses in Every Single Message
There’s something oddly suspenseful about getting a text that reads, “Hey… just wanted to check in… hope you’re doing okay…” It feels like the sender is either being passive-aggressive or building up to some dramatic reveal that never actually arrives.
Ellipses are meant to show a pause or an unfinished thought, not replace commas and periods entirely.
When every sentence trails off like that, it creates this lingering tension that can feel weirdly intense.
A period works just fine.
So does a comma.
Sprinkling three dots after every thought sends a tone that probably wasn’t intended but lands that way every single time.
3. Answering Calls on Speaker in Public
Nothing quite commands a room like someone blasting their phone call through the speaker while standing in the middle of a grocery store aisle.
Everyone within earshot now knows about Aunt Linda’s knee surgery and the drama at last Sunday’s family dinner.
There’s a reason earbuds and headphones exist.
Private conversations should stay private, especially in shared spaces.
What feels natural and convenient for the caller becomes an unwanted audio experience for everyone else nearby.
A simple switch to holding the phone up to your ear, or better yet using wireless earbuds, saves everyone from being an accidental audience member to someone else’s personal life.
4. Taking Forever to Type a Short Message
You watch the “typing…” indicator bubble appear.
It stays there for a solid two minutes.
You start wondering if this is going to be the most detailed, thoughtful message you’ve ever received.
Then it arrives: “Ok.”
The buildup and the letdown of that moment is genuinely something to behold.
Younger people who grew up with touchscreens can fire off full paragraphs in seconds.
But for many older folks, every letter is a deliberate mission.
It’s endearing in its own way, but it can also cause a small amount of anxiety when you’re waiting on something time-sensitive and the reply is just two letters after all that effort.
5. Using One Finger to Type Like a Typewriter Pro
Back when typewriters ruled the world, hunting and pecking with one or two fingers actually got the job done.
That muscle memory apparently stuck around long after touchscreens became the norm for a lot of Boomers and older Gen Xers.
Watching someone methodically tap one letter at a time with a single index finger while a full keyboard sits right there is a unique experience.
Modern phones even have swipe-to-type features that make the whole process faster and smoother.
Still, old habits are stubborn.
There’s a certain focused determination in that one-finger approach that almost commands respect, even if it makes everyone waiting for the reply quietly antsy.
6. Forwarding Chain Emails and Outdated Memes
“Forward this to 10 people or something bad will happen!” If you grew up with email, you probably got at least a dozen of these from a well-meaning relative.
Chain emails were the original viral content, and some people never quite got the memo that the trend died out years ago.
The memes that come with these forwards are usually from about five years ago and have already made the full rounds across every platform imaginable.
It’s the digital equivalent of telling a joke everyone already knows.
The intention is sweet, genuinely, but the execution lands somewhere between nostalgic and painfully out of touch with how internet humor actually works today.
7. Clapping When the Plane Lands
The wheels touch down.
The plane slows.
And then, from somewhere in rows 12 through 20, a round of applause breaks out.
For the clappers, it feels like a natural expression of relief and gratitude.
For everyone else, it’s one of the most universally puzzling airplane rituals in existence.
Did you know this habit is actually more common in certain countries and age groups?
Pilots don’t typically hear it, and the landing was just their job.
Younger travelers tend to sit quietly and immediately reach for their phones.
The clapping crowd, almost always skewing older, seems to genuinely feel the moment deserves celebration.
And honestly, that enthusiasm is kind of sweet, even if it earns some sideways glances.
8. Printing Everything “Just in Case”
Somewhere in a home office, a printer is humming along producing paper copies of emails, directions, receipts, and documents that already exist perfectly fine in digital form.
The “just in case” printer pile is a hallmark of a certain generation that came of age before cloud storage was a thing.
There’s a logic to it rooted in past experience.
Computers crashed.
Files got lost.
Paper felt permanent and reliable in a way that digital didn’t.
But today, with backups and cloud services everywhere, the need for a physical copy of your dentist appointment confirmation is pretty minimal.
Still, the comfort of holding a printed page is real, even if it means another full recycling bin at the end of the week.
9. Using Facebook Like a Personal Diary
Facebook was originally designed for connection, but somewhere along the way it became the go-to platform for multi-paragraph life updates that read more like journal entries. “Well, today started rough.
The car wouldn’t start, then I spilled my coffee, and I’ve just been thinking about how life is too short…”
Younger users tend to keep their social media posts short, visual, or humorous.
The long-form emotional check-in is almost exclusively a Boomer and Gen X specialty.
There’s real vulnerability in sharing like that, and it takes courage.
But it often catches followers off guard, especially when the post ends with a vague but dramatic statement that invites a flood of concerned comments asking if everything is okay.
10. Calling Instead of Texting for Minor Things
A quick question about dinner plans becomes a full phone call.
A simple “are you home?” turns into a five-minute conversation when a two-second text would have done the job perfectly.
For Boomers and many Gen Xers, calling someone is just the natural default, regardless of how small the topic is.
Younger generations treat unannounced phone calls as something reserved for emergencies or really serious news.
Getting a call just to confirm a time feels oddly jarring.
There’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned phone conversation, but reading the room matters.
A quick text is often faster, less disruptive, and honestly just more practical for everyday low-stakes communication in today’s always-busy world.
11. Taking Blurry Photos With Fingers Over the Lens
Every family photo album from a certain era has at least one classic: a slightly blurry, slightly orange-tinted shot with a mysterious pink blur in the corner that turns out to be someone’s thumb.
The tradition lives on in the smartphone age, just with higher-resolution blurriness.
Holding a phone to take a photo is genuinely different from holding a film camera, and the muscle memory doesn’t always transfer cleanly.
The result is a collection of photos that are kept anyway, shared proudly, and defended enthusiastically. “You can still see everyone’s faces!” Sure, technically.
But when someone spends three minutes lining up the perfect shot only to cover the lens, the cringe is real and deeply affectionate all at once.
12. Leaving Voicemails for Simple Information
“Hi, it’s me.
Just calling to let you know that the thing we talked about is happening on Thursday, not Friday.
Okay, call me back.
It’s Mom.
Okay, bye.
Bye.” The voicemail is a relic that refuses to retire, at least among older generations who still see it as a perfectly reasonable communication tool.
For younger people, voicemails require effort: you have to listen to the whole thing, possibly rewind, and then manually note the information.
A text takes three seconds to read and keeps the information right there whenever you need it.
The voicemail habit isn’t malicious, just gloriously out of sync with how most people under 40 prefer to receive a quick update these days.