View Full Version : Millennials prepared for the future?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8iRQ2qLSR_tRlJLTDlwcVhqcmc/view?pref=2&pli=1
This thought about the millennial was a total surprise to me. Is there a genuine public concern that the millennials are ill-prepared for the future due to indulgent parenting and having it all?
Not sure that I understand what the concern really is.
Millennials, whom we define as those ages 18-34 in 2015, now number 75.4 million, surpassing the 74.9 million Baby Boomers (ages 51-69). And Generation X (ages 35-50 in 2015) is projected to pass the Boomers in population by 2028. The Millennial generation continues to grow as young immigrants expand its ranks.
For whatever reason there seems to be an ongoing effort by some to bash the millennials. I assume a similar bashing happened to my generation (Gen x) although I don't remember and also the baby boomers (I certainly don't remember if that happened). Personally I figure there are a few lazy and/or whiny people in every generation and that this goes for millennials as well. Am I concerned that they won't be able to take care of themselves? Not at all. Eventually the boomers will die, the Gen X'ers will retire and the millennials will take things over and will finally rid the country of the ill effects of the Reagan revolution once and for all.
By your definition, I have two young GenX kids and two old Millennials. I kind of get the Millennial thing, although I can only go by my kids and their friends. My younger kids are definitely uncompromising when it comes to independence. Their friends use extra money to travel and have fun. I think real responsibility scares them--my younger kids have no serious relationship still. This isn't necessarily a criticism of their approach to life--just an observation.
I'd like to hear from any millennials on this board, although I don't think there are many--I know we have GenX, and we definitely have Baby Boomers.
I also agree that parents that were in my neighborhood were helicopter parents who over-scheduled their kids. Personally, I was more of a chill parent, but maybe I hovered more than I think I did--who knows.
Your post reminded me of this article I saw the other day which I thought was a really interesting. Kind of back to the old days when kids were completely unscheduled, and they were left to their own devices, unless they were called on to help the "family farm." That was the environment I grew up in.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/familyadvice/3355719/Idle-parenting-means-happy-children.html
ETA: I just saw this article on CNN online (http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/18/pf/earnings-millennials-young-old-uk/index.html) confirming what creaker said about how millennials (in this case, British millennials) will be the first generation to be lower-earning than their parents. I wonder if that is by choice or design. As I said, my kids have chosen careers that are not typically high paying, but which confer a better quality of life and sense of fulfillment. So maybe these indicators are signs of positive things, not negative.
For whatever reason there seems to be an ongoing effort by some to bash the millennials. I assume a similar bashing happened to my generation (Gen x) although I don't remember and also the baby boomers (I certainly don't remember if that happened). Personally I figure there are a few lazy and/or whiny people in every generation and that this goes for millennials as well. Am I concerned that they won't be able to take care of themselves? Not at all. Eventually the boomers will die, the Gen X'ers will retire and the millennials will take things over and will finally rid the country of the ill effects of the Reagan revolution once and for all.
There seems to be a lot of angst when values and circumstances change between generations - millennials are not like the generation that preceded them, and neither is the world they've come into, and they seem to get some blame for that.
I think there may be a bit of guilt and denial mixed in there, too - they'll probably be the first generation since the Depression who are less well off than the one before, not for lack of trying but for lack of opportunity.
I volunteer a lot - which exposes me to a lot of millennials here in Boston. None are like the stereotypes they push in the media. Amazing group of young people.
There seems to be a lot of angst when values and circumstances change between generations - millennials are not like the generation that preceded them, and neither is the world they've come into, and they seem to get some blame for that.
I think there may be a bit of guilt and denial mixed in there, too - they'll probably be the first generation since the Depression who are less well off than the one before, not for lack of trying but for lack of opportunity.
I volunteer a lot - which exposes me to a lot of millennials here in Boston. None are like the stereotypes they push in the media. Amazing group of young people.
The millennials I interact with are all coworkers at the mega corp I work for so I probably have a (different from you and catherine) skewed view. But these millennials I know are all pretty awesome people. Very focused on what's important to them. Some are doing the whole "get married, buy/build a house in the suburbs" thing and others either live at home with their parents or in a cramped apartment with a bunch of other millennials and spend their extra money traveling around the world. And a couple have quit the mega corp and done things like join the peace corps. To me it's all good. Whatever makes them happy is what they should do.
My daughter is a "millennial", and she seems well-prepared for the future. Her college classmates all seem like reasonable folks as well.
I'm not confident that we who raised up these milennials have done such a good job ourselves. The ones of that age group that I personally know (DD and her friends, co-workers etc) seem to have high ideals. They are all exceedingly close to their families and prefer experiences over acquistion of stuff. It is no different than before though that there is a strata of uninspired and uninformed among them.
Chicken lady
7-19-16, 8:48am
I did not read the link, but I wonder who us deciding these people are not "prepared for the future". These people will shape the future, so it will adapt to them. I think perhaps what they are not prepared for is the past. Or perhaps the present, depending on the age of the judge.
i remember genx being called "the me generation" selfish, self centered due to destroy society. The millennials are now being criticized for having no ambition, too community centric.
Mine are doing well. Some of their friends are struggling. Many of my friends struggled as well. Talked to a friend at fair yesterday. He's 62. Plans to retire, outfit a vw bus, sell the farm and hit the road with his dog. His son is about to finish law school and doesn't plan to take the bar exam. He's been doing social justice work, wants to continue, and doesn't see the point in passing the bar. My friend is very concerned. I kind of wanted to say "really? This from a guy who wants to lie in a vw bus?" His kid will be fine.
Ultralight
7-19-16, 8:55am
"You dang kids, get off my lawn!"
My kids are millennials. I had them in my late 30's. I was a helicopter parent......(and proud of it!) haha .........
I think my kids turned out great. They are bright, sensitive, hardworking people. But they've both chosen the arts, and it's a struggle.
But I'm not sure they're really aware of political things, because they are working so hard......which can contribute to some of their idealism. But hey.......if you can't have some idealism when you're young, then when?
I worry more about millennials who don't have some of the qualities that my kids have. Yes, I'm bragging.......but I'm also aware of how many of the kids they graduated high school with are acting now.
I think the reason so many of the younger people were for Sanders is because of their idealism.
Maybe that generation will be able to make better things happen than we did.
I do sense that my kids spend too much of their money on extras.........like organic food/vegan food/eating out too often (But at least it's healthy food). When I was in college, my big splurge was a coke a week! But I guess it's my fault because we taught them some eating habits that might be expensive.
I'm rambling.........
One negative thing I see with my kids is that they throw tons of effort into things they love........but not into things they don't like, but are necessary. And they choose to spend money, rather than save some......which was always important to me when I was younger. Do you think a lot of millennials are like that? It's like they need immediate gratification.
I think generalizing about any group of 75 million or so people is probably a waste of time.
I think generalizing about any group of 75 million or so people is probably a waste of time.
How small would a group of people need to be before it would cease to be a waste of time to note general trends or common attributes of that group?
Ultralight
7-19-16, 2:48pm
How small would a group of people need to be before it would cease to be a waste of time to note general trends or common attributes of that group?
On the Western Civilization-sized level, but nothing more than that can be generalized.
According to an article in Scientific American, there's a trend with college students: more narcissism, less empathy.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-me-care/
Again, not wanting to stereotype, but this is definitely not good.
How small would a group of people need to be before it would cease to be a waste of time to note general trends or common attributes of that group?
If we were "noting common attributes" for any given ethnic group, you would call it racism.
Taking a group of people whose only common element is being born in an arbitrarily selected time period, assigning them a sort of brand name, and passing judgment on their lack of ambition or sense of entitlement doesn't seem all that different to me.
If we were "noting common attributes" for any given ethnic group, you would call it racism.
Taking a group of people whose only common element is being born in an arbitrarily selected time period, assigning them a sort of brand name, and passing judgment on their lack of ambition or sense of entitlement doesn't seem all that different to me.
I agree. Now if only I wasn't feeling judged continually by millennials who resent my parents' generation for having such large families. I have one niece who is on social media continually banging the drum of resentment of Boomers. It gets old and causes lots of tension. It feels like they just can't wait until we all die off.
Ultralight
7-20-16, 11:45am
I agree. Now if only I wasn't feeling judged continually by millennials who resent my parents' generation for having such large families. I have one niece who is on social media continually banging the drum of resentment of Boomers. It gets old and causes lots of tension. It feels like they just can't wait until we all die off.
Seriously?
ToomuchStuff
7-21-16, 11:18am
Prepared for the future?
Let start with hindsight and ask who, who has responded to this post, looking back realizes they were prepared for their future?
Were the kids who lived through the depression, prepared for that? How about the young kids who grew up on a battlefield (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc)?
Families have a duty to TRY to prepare kids, but their brains are still developing until a certain age (so you don't get past all the emotions, etc), and kids still see so much do as I say, not as I do.
I think this thread could be started in any time, and the answer would still be, maybe some are, and some aren't.
Prepared for the future?
Let start with hindsight and ask who, who has responded to this post, looking back realizes they were prepared for their future?
Were the kids who lived through the depression, prepared for that? How about the young kids who grew up on a battlefield (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc)?
Families have a duty to TRY to prepare kids, but their brains are still developing until a certain age (so you don't get past all the emotions, etc), and kids still see so much do as I say, not as I do.
I think this thread could be started in any time, and the answer would still be, maybe some are, and some aren't.
"I believe what really happens in history is this: the old man is always wrong; and the young people are always wrong about what is wrong with him. The practical form it takes is this: that, while the old man may stand by some stupid custom, the young man always attacks it with some theory that turns out to be equally stupid."
(G.K. Chesterton)
Boomer here, who actually thought the concept that lots of millennials despise boomers was a joke the first time I heard it...but Google it, it's a thing. And it's not stereotyping to note trends and common attributes; it's interesting sociology. Kids who went thru the Depression had different experiences and watershed moments thatl ater generations did not, and it helped to shape them as a group - they perhaps knew extreme poverty, then went thru the uncertainty of WWII, to later experience many years of post-war abundance and prosperity, with greater rewards as they aged. Their kids, the boomers, were raised during relative economic prosperity, giving many the luxury of more education and more time to question the status quo. The civil and women's rights movements exploded during this era. I think the boomers are more inclined to be optimistic about society, since we experienced a time of progress and abundance. Poor generation X-ers kinda got the shaft, I think, lots of them being latch-key kids and overshadowed at first by the boomers, who of course dominated, simply because of sheer numbers, and now by the millenials (once again, sheer numbers). And the millenials have experienced a lot of disillusionment with the economy and politics. I think we boomers were optimistic we could change the world for the better, but millenials have grown up with knowledge of one unjust war after another, mistrust and betrayal by our own government and declining economic indices...their experiences have shown them that working your butt off will not protect you from lay-offs or out-sourcing, that economic security isn't very secure, and that you may as well do what you want with your life, because nose to the grindstone and trusting it will all get better really hasn't happened in the last 20 years or so in the western world. Well, I've kind of rambled and, yes, have made generalizations...this is an interesting topic to me. As far as millenials being prepared for the future....maybe it doesn't even make sense for them to prepare according to priorities of previous generations and eras, because today's world is different. And, as the largest cohort in U.S. population, they ARE the future, so the future will be what they make it, however they do so.
I think that for most of us life is unpredictable.
My late DH did not plan his life but responded to opportunities as did I and they worked out very well. Our generation's education was basic and sound and great developments evolved.
Those that were rigid in their thinking, got stuck and disappointed.
I do believe that as over the years, the children became more sheltered with poorer opportunities to discover their strengths, challenges and overcome them, they became less practiced at adapting. That is the problem today. It is scary learning as an adult to adapt.
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