Remember back when we were kids and our parents would tell us how different life was for us than it was when they were growing up? Our music was terrible; we didn't have a sense of responsibility; and we were certainly a much lazier generation than our parents.

We looked at our parents as if they had no clue what we were about — and blasted our Beastie Boys anthem anyway. Oh, and we swore we would never be as uncool as they were. We would totally "get" our kids in the next generation because they would probably be just like us, and united we would stand.

Wrong.

We have turned into our parents. As much as you'd like to think you haven't, you have. Take the music our kids listen to today. Do you think it's as good as the music we grew up with? Sure, you may secretly blast a One Direction song or know every lyric to a Katy Perry tune or two, but overall, you know you've caught yourself contrasting Justin Bieber with David Bowie in disdain or Miley Cyrus with Madonna. You see where I'm going with this.

Here's another interesting difference between us and our sweet babes: the way we communicate. We didn't grow up in a digital world like the one our kids currently are in, where text messaging is an acceptable form of communication. Our kids and teens are forming — and ending — relationships with the glowing light of their phones on their faces.

I recently had a conversation with a mom who was concerned about her son's breaking up with his girlfriend via text message. She was really adamant about his doing it either face to face or, at the very least, over the phone. Her husband, on the other hand, was quick to point out that this is just a part of their generation and that this is their territory to navigate. It's much like how our parents could not understand how we could watch hours upon hours of television or why we would choose to live with our significant others prior to marriage. It just wasn't a thing when they were kids, and much like us now, they wondered what the repercussions would be from such un-navigated territory.

Even though I desperately wanted to agree with my friend, her husband really had a point. As much as we may not like or agree with a lot of the next generation's antics, we need to remember that they're not us — they're not growing up with the same lifestyle we did — and it's our responsibility to love and support them even when their experiences seem foreign and maybe even downright wrong to us.

What are some other ways you notice yourself turning into your parents?

To find out more about Jenny McCarthy and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.