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Remember when summer vacation actually lasted until Labor Day? When your biggest back-to-school worry wasn't active shooter drills but whether your Trapper Keeper matched your folders? We're diving deep into the nostalgia of Gen X school experiences this week as we honor the passing of Loni Anderson and reflect on the holiday weekend that once marked the true end of summer.

Our conversation meanders through the hallowed halls of department stores past – from Lazarus to Montgomery Ward, from Air-way to the early days of Target when we all thought "what a dumb name." We unpack the critical importance of metal lunchboxes adorned with our favorite TV characters, those big pink erasers that never quite worked, and the wide-rule paper with its blue lines and dotted middle line that guided our early handwriting attempts.

The Garanimals clothing system perfectly encapsulates the self-sufficient nature of our generation: "Match your animals, get a Pop-Tart, get to the bus, and I'll see you at 3 o'clock." This hands-off approach to childhood would horrify many modern parents, but it was simply the norm for us latchkey kids. We compare our half-day kindergarten experiences (complete with mandatory nap time!) to today's academic pressure cooker that somehow starts in July.

For Gen X parents who've navigated the vastly different back-to-school landscape with our own children, this episode offers a comforting reminder that we survived and thrived with far less structure and supervision. So whether you were the kid with the perfectly organized Trapper Keeper or the one desperately trying to hide that you hadn't done your homework, this episode will transport you back to a time when school started after Labor Day and summer actually felt like summer.

Share your own school memories with us! Call 1-888-GEN-X-POD or visit genxwomenpod.com to connect and keep the conversation going.

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