When Thomas Perry turned 16, he asked his parents for a very specific birthday gift: one oversized truck tire.
Not four tires. Or an actual truck. Scott and Karen Perry had heard about Gen Zers having no desire to drive themselves anywhere upon turning 16, but this was different. Their son — who took marathon-length trail hikes, alone, for fun — was as anti-trend as it got.
After asking him to repeat his request, Scott, amused but also now genuinely curious, inquired as to why, exactly, Thomas wanted one gigantic truck tire.
“So I can flip it,” Thomas replied excitedly, “and push it up and down the road.