As I mentioned in a previous post, I (Gen Z) was a parentified kid. My parents (millennials) didn’t actually raise my younger brother… They didn’t even parent him.
My brother is 12 now and I’ve always noticed that he lacks a lot of basic skills, like making his own breakfast, using a microwave or even closing a window. I used to think it was because he has ADHD that he doesn’t know how to do basic stuff and I was made to do everything for him as a kid.
But after him having friends over and seeing their behavior… It’s not just my brother, these kids are genuinely slow sometimes.
The conclusion I ended up with was that being raised by phones, tablets and computers instead of parents drove these kids away from the real world. So now they look like versions of Mr Bean, or like aliens that have never been on Earth (yes genuinely like that, it’s not even an exaggeration these 11-12 year olds struggled to pour themselves a glass of water)
Now I’ve seen some millennials trying to pretend this is just the general trend of older generations hating on the younger ones… But it’s not just that, when I was my brother’s age I was able to take care of a toddler, an animal and the house chores, these kids can’t even fix themselves a basic snack without making a mess.
It’s so sad that their parents have destroyed their social and basic skills like that.
In what way where your parents different when raising you or is the main difference the availability of digital screens rather then physical play?
At what age did you and and your brother get their own device/unlimited access?
My mom has a cleanliness obsession, so the difference is that I was made to take care of house chores since a young age. My brother didn’t have to do anything because I was already there, I was the one to “raise him”. But to be honest I did it poorly to because I did everything for him and got mad at him easily.