Not Much Has Changed Since 1978...

Each generation writes its own story. Considering the average age at which people have kids, the parents of today's 13-year-olds were typically 13 around 1978, their grandparents that age around 1953. That year the median household income was $3,733 (about $27,000 in today's dollars), the average family home was a modest 1,100 sq. ft., and just 22% of married women worked outside the home. The new toys of choice were Slinkys and Silly Putty. By 1978, average income was $15,064 (about $45,000 today), the average family home was 1,755 sq. ft., and 62% of mothers with children ages 6 to 17 were in the work force. The hot toys: Star Wars action figures and the Atari 2600. Today, while real household income hasn't expanded (it's $43,318), houses have--to an average 2,340 sq. ft.--and 70% of mothers living with children ages 6 to 17 are in the workplace. It speaks to both the technical advantages and the discretionary spending of 13-year-olds that today required gear ranges from iPods to PlayStations to Xboxes ... and a deck of cards, as poker takes over middle school.

Time Magazine Being 13