Millennial
A word that prompts some eye rolls and maybe even some negativity from the generations before us, particularly those of our parents and grandparents. I’m here on behalf of all of us born between 1981-1996, to ask for a little break (and understanding).
As someone born in the middle of this generation, I can proudly say I remember when cell phones were used only for phone calls and the internet was a cool new thing, not a way of life. I got to thinking about the uniqueness of our generation after a conversation with my Baby Boomer father about Zelle, Venmo and online banking. He won some money at a golf tournament, but didn’t have (and wasn’t willing to get) the necessary app on his iPhone to receive his money. He was blown away that within 10 minutes, the money was in my account and I was making plans to meet him to pay up. He kept saying “you kids just don’t use paper anymore” and it wasn’t exactly a compliment.
We transitioned from paper to electronic and have embraced more change in our short lifetimes than previous generations. While we are often labeled as “snowflakes” and self absorbed, most of us have adapted to these world changes before we are 30 years old. I heard a statistic on the radio that the same amount of new information was created from 2000-2015 as 1900-1999. Think about that for a minute. That’s 100 years of NEW information in only 15 years. The world is moving faster than it ever has before and is only getting faster.
Now many of us are parents and trying to navigate this changing world for ourselves and our children. Our parents didn’t have to worry about excessive screen time for infants and toddlers, organic food, non-GMO, BPA, and extended rear facing car seats that pretty much require a training class to install properly.
We have unprecedented student loan debt, wages that don’t keep up with inflation and are currently living in a housing market that makes owning a home more of a dream than a reality. We are bombarded with information nearly every waking moment and often have to make proclamations of “social media breaks” and “unplugging” just to take a break from it all, to think clearly and live in the moment.
We face judgement not only directly from family members who think we are way too overprotective, but now we have strangers on the internet who make snap judgments based on a 15 second Instagram story. One wrong move on the internet and you can lose your job, family and reputation.
I’m not saying we’re perfect or even the best, but we aren’t as bad as the media makes us out to be. We are adaptable and embrace the constant change around us. We are accepting of people for who they are and want to make the world a more positive, inclusive place. I think we care for the environment more than the past generations because we’ve seen the damage that has been done. We are more conscious of our carbon footprints and finding ways to use less.
Maybe I’m being a snowflake or just need to prioritize my life a little better. I really think I’m just a millennial mom, asking for a break. I’m asking for some understanding and recognition from the generations before me while I navigate this rapidly changing world for myself and my children. The world they live in today won’t be the same tomorrow, and it’s up to us to make sure they’re ready.
