Why millennials are raising their kids differently


It’s no secret that in today’s day and age there is a definite generation gap. We now live in a world full of Baby Boomers, Generation X-ers and Millennials – and none of us are really sure how we get on. We all have differing views, we all have different outlooks on life, and as the world progresses, we all have different experiences in life. These differing of opinions often results in arguments in households and in society, with one of the main topics surrounding children. How do we raise our children in a world fueled by technology? Do we stick to traditional methods of the Baby Boomers, or do we change with the times? Well, this is why Millennials are raising their kids differently…

They are more confident

First and foremost, Millennial moms are more confident in their parenting skills in this day and age. In fact, a Pew Research Center survey looked into the confidence levels between Millennials, Baby Boomers and Generation Xers as they went about their daily parenting life. This study found that only 41% of Baby Boomers and 48% of the Generation X population felt confident that they were do a good job as mom and raising their child correctly. On the other hand, 57% of Millennials felt they were doing a good job.

Why millennials are raising their kids differently

Millennials use the internet

If you’re a Millennial, you’ve probably heard your parents rant on about the fact that they lived in a technology-free world as a kid, and how the internet ‘wasn’t around in our day.’ That’s all well and good, but the internet is here to stay, and Millennials are now using it to their parenting advantage. While our parents relied on books and historical information to raise and rear their children, Millennial parent now use the likes of Google and parenting blogs to gather varied and unique parenting tips.

Millennials struggle with money

It’s no secret that we’re living in tough times. With more and more people going to college and more and more people being underpaid, Millennials are earning significantly less than their parents and grandparents. This, alongside increasing costs of childcare, housing and food means that the average Millennial struggles for money. With fewer chances to give their child a better education or the toys they want, Millennials may raise their child differently and try to compensate for their lack of income.

Millennials wait longer to have kids

Each year, the number of late teens and those in their 20s going to college increases – including women. In the past, fewer women went to college or pursued a higher education, which meant they could settle down with a family and raise children at an early age. In fact, the average age for a woman to have her first child in 1980 was at 22.7 years-old. With more and more women staying on to better their education and career chances, this age has risen. In 2013, the average age was 26. This means that Millennial parents are waiting longer to have kids and are older and more mature when they do eventually have children.

Why millennials are raising their kids differently

Millennials are less likely to have nuclear families

We’ve all heard of the nuclear family – where a married couple have children and live a happy and healthy life, happily ever after – but nuclear families are becoming much less common. In fact, in 1980, 61% of children lived with parents who were married. But as the years go by, this number has drastically decreased. In 2016, just 46% of children lived with both parents. Many Millennials are now having children and raising them as a single-parent, or co-parenting. These situations can affect how a child is raised, and how they grow up – which is very different to how Generation Xers and Baby Boomers were brought up.

It’s no secret that Millennials are different to Generation Xers and Baby Boomers, but now it seems Millennials are also raising their kids differently…

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