Raised on Hose Water and Neglect: A Survival Manual for the Generation That Doesn't Need One

By Jason McIlrath

Raised on Hose Water and Neglect: A Survival Manual for the Generation That Doesn't Need One
By Jason McIlrath
Remember when seatbelts were optional, water came from a garden hose, and "screen time" meant watching The A-Team on the family TV with aluminum foil antennas? Welcome back, Gen X - this one's for you.
Before participation trophies and helicopter parents, there was a generation left to figure life out on their own. We rode bikes until the streetlights came on, survived on cereal and sarcasm, and learned everything the hard way - and somehow, we turned out just fine.
Raised on Hose Water and Neglect is part love letter, part roast, and part survival manual for the generation that never needed one. With equal parts humor, nostalgia, and truth, Jason McIlrath celebrates the rough-and-ready resilience that defined Gen X - the kids who grew up without seatbelts, therapy, or the internet, yet built the modern world everyone else depends on.
Through hilarious reflections and hard-earned wisdom, you'll rediscover why being ignored was the best thing that ever happened to us. From latchkey life and MTV therapy sessions to the art of shrugging it off, this book is your permission slip to be proud of the grit, sarcasm, and independence that made Gen X legendary.
Inside, You'll Find:
How drinking from the hose built stronger immune systems (and personalities)
Why our parents' "neglect" was actually freedom
How mixtapes, MTV, and boredom forged emotional depth
The secret Gen X code of resilience - work hard, laugh harder, survive everything

Whether you grew up with rotary phones and cassette decks or you just wish you had, Raised on Hose Water and Neglect is a hilarious, heartfelt reminder that toughness isn't toxic - it's timeless.
Because when life gets hard, Gen X doesn't need a manual.
We are the manual.

Perfect for Fans Of: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck*Stuff Gen X SaysBill Burr, George Carlin, and anyone allergic to participation trophies

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FZHHBZJ2
• ISBN13: 9798271983863
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"