As far as intergenerational stereotypes go, Baby Boomers (1946-1964) are often accused of being a self-absorbed generation who often stockpiled wealth, ignored the environment, and had no problem prioritizing their own interests towards their families. After all, they are mostly the generation who raised Gen X (1965-1980) and the old millennials (babys from the 80s), also known as Gen Goonie, the most unparented group of decades.
Painting an entire generation with the same brush is unfair. Still, people once called “my generation” have developed a reputation for not being much involved in the lives of their grandchildren than their parents. The different styles of grandparents are attributed to the fact that Boomers want to enjoy retirement as they work longer. They also have more money than their parents to enjoy traveling and pursuing hobbies. People who want to take shots with Boomers claim they don't try too hard to raise their children, so why are they different from their grandchildren?
Baby boomer's grandparents. ViaCanva/Photos
The mother of a man who goes to Thecalmquail on Mumsnet (UK-based mothers' forum) made a controversial post, calling for important double standards when it comes to boomers. They had no problems getting parents to help raise their children, but they don't want to extend the same manners to their children.
“In my recent conversations with other parents, I have hardly ever had time with my kids, especially when I was younger and my grandparents' daily hours, and I have avoided them completely when my mother returned to work.
“Grandparents have realised they are entitled to their own life, but it seems like a double standard that the majority seem to be helping themselves so much,” she continued.
A stressful mom holding her head in her hand. via camber/photo
Calmquail adds that her mother is on the path from her, but still finds excuses to not help the child or even spend time with her. “I have to suggest something that tempts her to do something together, so she feels like an extra toddler. I manage the logistics and drive there. At the end of her post, she asked if it's unreasonable to think that parents should put in as much effort as they would raise their grandchildren.
Verdict: 68% thought she was not irrational, 32% felt she was irrational. Therefore, the majority of parents in the forum believe that the baby boomer generation has the same responsibility as the silent generation (1928-1945).
Many parents on the forum had experienced similar situations as Boomer's parents, and gave their energy to their families as they gave their grandparents a bit of blessing by acknowledging that they had no many resources or expectations of retirement.
laundry.viacamba/stressed mom doing photos
“I know this will turn into a boomer bashing thread, but my experience is my parents and I feel that their friends are early retirees with a fair amount of cash and have achieved easy long and comfortable retirements (they worked hard but worked the same way as us except for the nanny, clean, etc. “My grandparents were the epitome of their generation. They worked very hard, had a modest lifestyle and were incredibly family oriented.”
“I don't think my grandparents had much in the way they expected retirement,” another commenter added. “They left relatively early by today's standards and lived much longer than they expected. They didn't have much of a sense of “enjoying retirement” by pursuing piers and personal hobbies around the world.
Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with baby boomers enjoying retirement, but children have the right to feel a bit plagued by changing grandparents' priorities. As times change, expectations change, so do young people feel like they are constantly getting a short edge of their stick when it comes to life's essentials, such as childcare and living expenses? Unfortunately, many young people feel they have to go alone. But, as her parents did, Boomer's praise for her grandparents who helped raise her child. As they say, raising children requires a village. These days, our villages need to grow rather than shrink.
