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Prior to the second world war, there was a reluctance to have children. The Great Depression took a toll on family finances and frankly, most adults were reluctant to bring new children into the world in those circumstances. The end of World War II changed the outlook and beginning in 1946, there was a true boom in births.

There may be some disagreement over the exact years of the Baby Boom, but most agree on the years between 1946 and 1964 as the criteria for being called a *Boomer.* If the Vietnam War was a defining period in this generation, then the boom could end in 1955 as those born after that year would not have been old enough to be drafted and serve in the battle.

Regardless of the time frame, those born during the Baby Boomer years have seen and participated in many changes. Among them, their desire to do things their way. It is not your father's retirement age that is rapidly zeroing in on the largest segment of the world's population. Many of today's baby boomers want little to do with the idea of retiring into oblivion. They want to continue to effect changes, as they did their entire working life.

From the war protests of the 1960's and the music migration of the 1950*s, this group experimented and experienced many things in their lives and if they didn*t understand many of the views, they simply created new views. They are not a generation to take things lying down.

Today's medical research may be a key role in their attitudes. With today's medical technology, boomers are living longer and they are not willing to simply accept aging as a natural part of growing older. They want their golden years to represent more than the number of candles on their birthday cake. They want to be able to walk to the table and blow them out without any help from the grandkids.

The baby boomer generation is sometimes referred to as the sandwich generation. Taking care of elderly parents while still having their own children in the nest, sandwiched between the two age groups.

They understand what it takes to remain healthy. Not merely going for botox treatments or nip and tuck surgery. They want to feel good from the inside while looking good from the outside. Staying healthy has them looking for supplements that can replace many of the natural products that age may be slow to replace.

They represent a self-defining generation, the first group raised on television allowing boomers from different geographic locations to watch the same programs at the same time. The watched the British invasion of music on the same programs and organized groups against the war. They are also reluctant to discuss death and dying and do not always believe this to be a reality of life.

One of the key contributions of the baby boomer generation is the desire for individual freedoms. Boomers want the freedom to choose how they will live, where they will live and for how long they will live. They take their choices seriously and continue to find new ways to live healthier and happier.