Millennial parenting styles: 6 Surprising Ways They’re Raising Kids Differently

6 Surprising Ways They’re Raising Kids Differently

Millennials (those currently aged 18 to 34) now number 75.4 million people—more than any other generation, including the baby boomers. And right now, those millennials are raising the yet-to-be-named future generation of Americans. So are millennial parents raising kids any differently than previous generations?

According to Dr. Kathleen Gerson, sociology professor at New York University and author of The Unfinished Revolution: Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work, and Family, the answer is, well, yes. This is partly because today’s millennial families are navigating some big societal shifts that previous generations did not experience. “Many children now grow up in houses with two working parents or with one parent,” Gerson says. “Mothers are more likely to be working.”

So how do these (and other changing realities) shape millennials’ approach to parenting? Gerson offered her take on six key differences in millennial parenting styles.

1. Millennial Parents Are Busier—But They Spend More Time with Their Children.

According to Gerson, one of the biggest misconceptions about parenting today is that parents are less devoted than parents were decades ago. “The research shows this is not the case,” says Gerson. Even though many families now have two working parents, “the fact is that parents today are spending more time with their children than parents did in the 1950s.”

And it’s not just moms who are more involved in their kids’ lives. The role of fathers is changing too, according to research from Boston College’s Center for Work and Family. Overall, millennial fathers are more enthusiastic about parenting duties than dads of previous generations. In fact, many millennial families, especially those with two working parents, embrace a “co-parenting” approach, in which responsibilities for all things kid-related are spilt more or less equally between both parents.

That means the struggle to find the balance between work and caregiving is shared by both parents, too. Boston College’s studies have found that 85 percent of millennial fathers report that they want to spend more time with their kids.

2. Millennial Parents Value Positive Parenting over Authoritarian Discipline.

“Around the mid-20^th century, there was a strong shift from the notion that strict discipline and physical force were acceptable and even good ways to set limits on behavior,” says Gerson. Today’s parents are more likely to reinforce positive behaviors than punish negative ones.

But is that a good thing? “We’re in the middle of a debate about whether we’ve gone too far in the other direction,” says Gerson. “Are we rewarding children too often when they haven’t achieved great things?” According to Gerson, the jury’s still out.

3. Millennial Parents Value Togetherness (Though Not Always at Mealtime).

Many families still value meals as a time for everyone to be together, but the traditional 6:00 family dinner is becoming increasingly harder to pull off: Often both parents are working, with little control over their schedules. “Wage workers might receive their schedules just hours before they have to work, and professionals might find out in the morning that they are expected to stay late—all these uncertainties make it difficult to schedule shared evening meals.”

And yet, today’s parents still value spending quality time as a family—they’ve just found a different time to do so. “For many families, the weekends have become the time for being together,” Gerson says.

Photo by Brian McEntire / Stocksy

4. Millennial Parents Are (Super) Safe.

“Today most families, regardless of their income or education level, want to keep their children as safe as possible,” Gerson says. “No one complains, for example, about buckling their children in car seats. For today’s families, this is just what good parenting requires.”

And how do millennial parents get a majority of their safety information? The Internet, of course! Referred to as “digital natives,” millennial moms and dads are the first-ever generation to have safety tips constantly at their fingertips. Which can work for them, or against them, as this 2017 New York Times article suggests. They may have lots of digital advice and apps to turn to, but that can be overwhelming—and make parents question if they’re doing the right thing.

Regardless, they care a lot about doing it right—hence the embrace of previously optional parenting accoutrement like bike helmets, stroller safety belts, and wide-brimmed sunhats to protect kids’ skin.

5. Many Millennial Parents Tend to Schedule Everything—Even Free Time.

It’s not news that children’s lives have become more scheduled than they were a generation ago—and this is a direct reflection of what’s happened in parents’ work lives. “Work weeks have expanded…and this has trickled down into the lives of children,” Gerson says. “Free time increasingly is something you now have to carve out. For many middle class families, it involves scheduling activities such as ‘play dates.’”

6. Millennial Parents Understand That These Early Years Are Critical—and Fleeting.

“Today’s parents continue to make sacrifices for their children, despite the belief that parental sacrifice is in decline,” says Gerson. “Even amid new economic uncertainties, most parents are doing their best to give their children whatever they need to grow up and find a stable future in an increasingly unpredictable world.”

When it comes to saving money for their future, the statistics on this one are somewhat staggering: According to Forbes Magazine, 66 percent of millennials are saving for their children’s college years, while only 47 percent of Gen-Xers and 35 percent of baby boomers did the same.

That’s a hefty generational difference, but the fact remains that, at the end of the day, millennial parents aren’t so different from previous generations in wanting to love and do right by their kids—in ways that their parents might not have done for them. Which probably sounds pretty familiar to every parent ever, too.

4 Millennial Parenting Trends That Make Boomers Roll Their Eyes

family

By Emma Singer

Published Apr 29, 2022

Millennials and boomers generally share a more progressive frame of mind, but when it comes to parenting practices, quite a bit has changed over the years. Queue Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way” and read on for a glimpse of some Millennial parenting trends that boomer grandparents just can’t get behind. 

1. ‘Peaceful parenting’

To be fair, Boomers were at the forefront of peaceful parenting in that they made a progressive shift away from the cold, authoritarian approach of their own parents. That said, some remnants of this controlling style were still present for those of us growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s (see: helicopter parenting or the yuppy obsession with grades and success, which was later rebranded as Tiger Mom behavior). Alternately, Millennials have embraced positive, gentle parenting more than any previous generation—in part because the rise of the internet and social media has given them access to a wealth of parenting advice that encourages asking questions, exploring feelings and avoiding shame. Clearly, there’s a lot to like about this approach. But we also don’t blame our parents for raising an eyebrow when they overhear us asking our kid if he clocked his little sister in the head with a Hot Wheel because he was feeling “frustrated. ”

2. The pressure to entertain their kids constantly

Did Boomer parents get home from work and start crawling around on their hands and knees pretending to be a kitty cat? Probably not. Is this something Millennials aspire to do constantly, and feel guilty about if they can’t? You betcha. Millennial parents—fathers, in particular—are more concerned with spending QT with their children, and it shows in the amount of active play they engage in as compared to the Boomer generation. Again, this is a good thing (particularly on the dad front). But there’s also a concern that the pressure to always be “on” and engaging with our kids isn’t great for own mental health, whereas Boomers understood the value of a good old-fashioned “Go play so I can do my aerobics video.”

3. Screen time limits

Remember what we said about Millennials having access to more information than their Boomer parents? Well, this includes all those studies that suggest excessive screen time will basically destroy your kid. (Oof, there’s that mom guilt again.) So while Millennials may have fond memories of watching cartoons for three straight hours on Saturday morning, they’re far less likely as parents to allow their kids the same amount of time in front of the tube. Plus, it’s probably a healthy generational shift given that the introduction of smartphones and tablets means that screens aren’t just in the living room anymore—they’re everywhere.

4. Insta-worthy everything

Hey, Millennial—we love the way that crisp white teepee looks next to the teak wood bunk bed. And those Hanna Andersson forest animal jammies are so cute. Yep, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Millennial who doesn’t have an Instagram full of photos that feature an impossibly pristine child-rearing aesthetic. Needless to say, social media wasn’t a thing for Boomer parents, so they didn’t give a hoot about Marie Kondo toy storage and mid-century modern playroom sets. (And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Boomer-Millennial aesthetic divide. ) There’s some common ground, though—namely that both generations can agree candle wax and nail polish should stay far away from carpeted floors.

6 hallmarks of millennial parenting style. Dropi

June 20, 2019, 2:22 pm
/ Author: Zulfiya Murtazina

82% of children currently being born are children born to millennial mothers. The term “millennial” refers to people born after 1981 until about 1996. Each generation does something differently – not like the previous ones. Business Insider highlighted the hallmarks of millennials as parents based on their parenting style. nine0007

Read on to find out how millennials manage their parenting responsibilities and how they choose to do so.

Source:
thisisinsider.com

Stories
#parents
#theory of generations
#millennials

1.

Millennials look to the internet, not just family and friends, for parenting advice

An article in the New York Times says millennials are turning to Google, forums and apps for advice on all sorts of parenting issues. As one expert of The Times newspaper said: “Google is the new grandfather, the new neighbor, the new nanny.” The expert also noted that the good news is that [millennial] parents know much more about child development than parents of any other generation. The bad news is that sometimes it can be overkill and cause overwhelm. nine0007

2. Millennials “document” their children’s lives on social media

In the same article in The New York Times, an expert says that many millennials create a personal hashtag for their children and YouTube channels. A survey conducted by Time magazine and Survey Monkey found that only 19% of millennial parents have never posted pictures of their children on social media, compared to 30% of Generation X parents and 53% of Baby Boomer parents.

3. Millennials are relatively confident in their parenting abilities

A Pew Research Center study found that 57% of Millennial mothers say they are good at parenting, compared to 48% of Gen X mothers and 41% of Baby Boomer mothers (fathers in all generations rated themselves lower).

4. Many More Millennial Parents Experience Financial Stress

A report from the Young Invisibles think tank explains (based on a study of American families) why millennial parents experience more financial hardship than previous generations. On the one hand, spending on childcare and education has increased, now accounting for 18% of all spending on children, for example in 1960 they were only 2%. In addition, some millennials are still paying their education bills, making it difficult to save to pay for their children’s education.

5. Millennials delay having children for a longer period

The age of having a first child has been steadily increasing every year for decades. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 19In 80, this age was 22.7 years, and in 2013 it was 26 years. As Business Insider previously reported, many more women are now pursuing education and careers, so they tend to marry later and have children.

6. Millennials are less likely to build “traditional” families, although this trend may change

In 2009, the oldest millennials were 20-year-olds (20+). And according to The Wall Street Journal, most of those adult millennials who have had children have not been married. Meanwhile, a report from the American Pew Research Center states that only 46% of American children lived in families consisting of two parents, while 19In 1980 this figure was 61%. However, the magazine, citing a study by the Demographic Intelligence think tank, predicts that about 60% of the children of all millennials will be born in marriage.

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Who are millennials: Generation Y values ​​

The oldest Millennials celebrated their 40th birthday last year, but they are still called the Peter Pan generation. Do kids really never grow up? nine0007

• Millennials
• Features
• Types of millennials
• What worries them in 2022

In the film “The Worst Man in the World” the main character Julia is a 30-year-old girl who, throughout the film, is trying to find herself and it can hardly be said that she succeeds. She is smart, knows her own worth, knows how to build personal boundaries, but also has all the “minuses” of her generation. Julia does not understand what she wants from life, what she wants to become – medicine disappointed her, psychology did not become a matter of life, photography attracted her, but did not stay for long. The novels that she dives into one after another awaken strong feelings in her, but do not set her on the path of creating a family – the heroine thinks about children in the future, but so far she feels immature for such a step. She has a difficult relationship with her father and a generational mismatch with her 40-year-old boyfriend, who would not mind changing her status to a more official one, but Yulia is not ready for married life. She wants to develop herself, although she works in a bookstore, and, perhaps, the only woman in her family has not acquired children and an unloved husband by the age of 30. The heroine is in no hurry to grow up, she is prone to a bohemian lifestyle, she has many complexes, but she really wants to find herself, even if it takes her a long time to do so. nine0007

Julia is a typical representative of generation Y. This is evidenced not only by the age of the heroine, but also by her character, worldview, ambitions and desires. However, she is definitely not the “worst person in the world”, and her not always simple relationship with herself and the world is conditioned by the society and the time in which she grew up. Why are millennials exactly like this, what do their specific views on life depend on, in connection with which they are considered to be a spoiled generation, and are they really like that?

Who are Millennials

Millennials are people born on the eve of the Millennium, in the time period from 1984 to 2000 (according to other sources, 1981 to 1996). The boundaries of generations are often blurred, since the “generation” itself is an intuitive phenomenon. This vast group of people have many other definitions coined by sociologists and marketers: Generation Y, Generation Pepsi, Generation Next, or even the Peter Pan Generation, due to the tendency to delay the moment of entry into adulthood. In 2022, the oldest “Greeks” have already crossed the threshold of their 40th birthday. nine0007

The theory of generations was first proposed by American sociologists Neil Howe and William Strauss in the 1990s. They analyzed history and suggested that all people are divided into more groups according to their age – in 100 years, four generations are usually replaced: .

“Artists” (born after a recession, during a crisis) – generation Z (2000 – 2011).

Representatives of the same generation, due to the fact that they grew up in similar conditions, have identical life experiences, views on career, family, values, finances, which are formed under the influence of some significant social event. For example, for the “silent generation” born in 1921-1944 in our country, the Great Patriotic War became such an event, and for the “X” – the collapse of the Soviet Union. The theory of generations explains the conflict between fathers and children, when people with a historically small difference in age – 20-30 years – cannot find common ground not only on many fundamental, but also on everyday issues. nine0007

Characteristic features of millennials

Millennials are described as carefree people who by the age of 40 do not have what their parents already had: a family, a high position, their own house or apartment, summer cottage, other material values ​​that are markers of age and status. “Ys” are in no hurry to find employment, because their main goal is self-development, and work should be enjoyable. Therefore, often already adult representatives of this generation are still supported by their parents until “the children get on their feet.” Due to the fact that in childhood the “games” were often left to their own devices (their parents were forced to devote themselves entirely to work in order to support the family), they grew up without strict rules and discipline, which slowed down their transition to adulthood, says sociologist Frank Furedi. For them, the neologism kidalty (kidults, from English kids, “children” and adults, “adults”) was invented. nine0007

Millennials are the first to be referred to as the “thumb generation” because they experienced an unthinkable technological take-off. They are “indefinitely young”: they still remember the whistle of a modem and connecting to the Internet using cards, but now they can’t imagine life without a smartphone, applications and instant messengers, being perfectly oriented in them. The main thing for millennials is not the result, which takes a long time and hard work, but a pleasant and comfortable process. If representatives of previous generations can still be noted intersections, then millennials are not similar to their predecessors. Sociologists do not stop repeating that this is “one of the most difficult generations for public perception.” nine0007

Despite the fact that 5–10 years ago the trend was to give accurate characteristics to each generation, and now the scientific community is moving away from this approach, denying significant differences between age groups, thanks to Russian and foreign studies, a certain image has been fixed for representatives of generation Y. They:

• appreciate digital comfort, brought up on modern means of communication;
• are able to grasp information on the fly;
• above all put spiritual values, freedom and faith in oneself; nine0052
• intolerant of corruption, do not have the habit of “kneeling” before the authorities;
• start a family late;
• are not ready to take loans;
• have integrated into the sharing economy, having learned to live without their own house and car;
• believe in the “theory of small deeds” and are actively involved in beautification at the local level;
• value freedom of speech and choice;
• calmly relate to representatives of other races, nationalities, sexual minorities; nine0052
• optimists, consider life interesting and full of opportunities.

The difference between Russian millennials and Western millennials

In various descriptions of generation Y, such definitions as “egocentric”, “consumers”, “infantile” are often found – millennials do not want to take responsibility, do not participate in political life, do not build a clear picture of your future. Economist Yevgeny Gontmakher and sociologist Alexander Sogomonov created a special project “Millenials”, which is based on conversations with representatives of generation Y, interaction with them, through which they managed to learn a lot about the worldview of the current 30-40-year-olds. Alexander Sogomonov refutes the thesis about the superficiality of the “Greeks” and says that Russian millennials differ from the rest due to their specific historical experience: “Practically all studies say that they allegedly have little desire to do something, lie on the couch, sit on the neck of their parents etc. This is not so, Russian millennials are not a selfish generation. ” Economic crises every six years – in 2008, 2014 and 2020, which occurred at the peak of the productivity of the “Y”, affected the hard adjustment of the dreams and aspirations that loomed for young people in the “Fat 2000s”. nine0007

Types of millennials: a patchwork quilt

The traditional study of the millennial generation is based on communication with core-generation, the most prominent representatives of the group, thanks to which it is possible to more clearly trace generational trends and meanings. But even with this approach, within the framework of one generation Y, a huge variety of types is found, which is a confirmation of the “diversity” of millennials.

To categorize a generation, Exponential conducted a massive study of 4 million millennials. The study identified as many as 12 Generation Y subgroups, each of which “defines a characteristic response to the economy, globalization and social media,” explains Exponential Vice President Brian Melmed. nine0007

• Baby Bosses . Career women who put work first and only then a family that they are in no hurry to acquire.
• Brogrammers . Techies, programmers who combine the features of geeks and sports enthusiasts. Most often they spend time in a purely male company, they are prone to sexism.
• Part-time. Recent university graduates who have not yet found a high-paying job due to lack of experience, but who are striving to improve their situation. nine0052
• Hopeless. They either failed to get an education, or their specialties are not relevant in modern society. Basically, these are men living in the provinces or on the outskirts of cities.
• Budget travelers. They don’t have much money, but their desire to see the world is great. They know languages, know how to find cheap tickets and tours, navigate booking services and do not deny themselves the pleasure of visiting new countries.
• Culinary experimenters. They have money, but no time to travel, so they get new emotions through unusual gastronomic experiences, trying something new.
• Content creators. Or emotional spenders. They are always aware of new trends, which they try their best to keep up with. Likes, comments, selfies, an endless photo feed are what they are addicted to.
• Content collectors. They don’t post anything themselves, but they actively watch others, read posts, watch videos — as if gaining experience with the help of other people. nine0052
• In crisis. Entering adulthood, these millennials never learned to make choices, which makes them emotionally unstable.
• Young mothers. Adequate parenthood, taking care of your health, fitness, independent earnings (most often – work at home, manual labor) – all this is about them.
• Martha Stewart. Like an American business woman formatted for Generation Y trends, representatives of this subgroup create verified social content themselves, share it with others, inspiring people around them. nine0052
• Nostalgic. Old-school lovers, hipsters, collectors who want to escape from real life complain that “it used to be better”.

The portrait of generation Y does not turn out to be complete, it rather resembles a patchwork quilt assembled from different pieces. There has never been unity among the millennials, and this is noticeable even in the work of the performers – the favorites of the Pepsi, pager, MTV generation. Young Kirill Tolmatsky, Decl, became the personification of millennials in the 2000s. Bright, bold, he collected “Olympic” several times in a row and capitalized on his popularity. Now, after the lapse of time, on the example of his work, it is clearly seen how the icon of domestic rap was stormed, and with it the whole generation of young people. On one disc, Decl calmly coexisted with songs where the rapper appeared either as a sportsman or an experienced alcoholic who drinks half a bottle of vodka in order to raise morale. The record “Who are you” expressed the general confusion of the generation, and many grown-up “gamers” still cannot answer the question posed in the title. nine0007

What worries millennials in 2022

Despite the fact that millennials for the most part delay their entry into adulthood, by their 30-40 years they have already formally matured. Now those “real adults” are not their X parents, but themselves. Paying bills, earning a living, planning shopping and vacations, raising a family, enrolling children in kindergarten, caring for elderly relatives, voting in elections – one way or another, millennials tick off this long list one way or another. Of course, doing “adult” things in their own way. nine0007

Education

“Ys” like their parents have a high level of education — according to a study by Aquarelle Research, 62.1% of this generation graduated from higher educational institutions. Despite this, 84% of “Greeks” believe that it is possible to achieve career heights without it: the level of skepticism towards obtaining a diploma among millennials is higher than that of their X parents. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the current 30-year-olds have experienced first-hand the unemployment that follows economic crises. According to VTsIOM, 74% of millennials do not consider education to be a guarantee of professional demand. Millennials, unlike the older generations, do not regard education as a formal indicator of status, but are looking for specific practical benefits in it. nine0007

Family

Millennials’ marriage age has shifted. They enter the labor market later because they study longer, preferring education to family. Many do not see the point in formalizing the relationship and choose cohabitation. According to the ONS research group, the number of couples in the UK living together without getting married increased by 25% from 2008 to 2018. Researchers are not in a hurry to blame the notorious infantilism of millennials for everything, but connect this with the desire for experiments, the search for oneself and a truly suitable partner. Another reason is that modern young women are less dependent on men, they earn their own money and can provide for themselves. For them, emotional support from a man is more important than financial. Scientists at the University of Maryland in the United States have concluded that millennial marriages are stronger than those of their parents: the divorce rate in the country fell by 18% from 2008 to 2016. nine0007

Finance

Due to the fact that the “gamers” entered the labor market in stable zero and did not find queues, they do not pursue self-realization through consumption. To satisfy their needs, millennials from the regions need only ₽116.4 thousand, and their peers from Moscow need ₽127.4 thousand – the material needs of the generation are lower than those of the Xs and higher than those of the Zoomers. According to a study by Sberbank, which was conducted on its online personal finance management services, millennials value leisure (22.3%) a little more than shopping (21.8%), and their own business (6%) puts higher education ( five%). Buying their own housing is postponed by the Y, because many are not able to save the required amount, and, judging by the results of a study by Raiffeisenbank, a third of millennials are simply afraid to take out a mortgage. nine0007

Politics

Millennials are often described as “lazy, apathetic, politically inactive, and sometimes even incapable of getting into the ballot box.” They have many complaints against the older generation, but there is no motivation to correct the state of affairs themselves. Y-players do not often use their voting rights. The European Progressive Research Foundation (FEPS) project has helped uncover the truth about this generation’s political activism. Here are some of the takeaways from FEPS Senior Policy Adviser Maria Freitas:

• Progressive parties are perceived as competent, professional, but unable to communicate effectively with millennials.
• “Ygreki” have shown interest in online voting, and in general they want to facilitate the electoral process.
• Millennials yearn for a political leader who inspires and shares their vision of the future.

Millennials tend to reject elitism (Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz flying in economy class is a positive example for them) and any traditional politics.