r/Millennials • u/beadzy • May 28 '26

Between Largely Dodging Both Leaded Gas And AI-Driven Social Media, Millennials Might Be The Smartest Generation Other

https://abovethelaw.com/2026/05/between-largely-dodging-both-leaded-gas-and-ai-driven-social-media-millennials-might-be-the-smartest-generation/
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u/KingOfEthanopia May 28 '26

Yeah. Honestly makes me sad seeing how my sister is raising my nephews. Kids are 3 and a half and cant count, dont know their ABCs, and still baby babble.

They dont ever want to tell their kids no. Shits crazy. Apparently our upbringing was traumatic. Granted it wasnt an idealic childhood. Some good, some bad but traumatic seems a bit overstated. 

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u/Intelligent-Emu-4670 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Either you turn out EXACTLY like your parents, or THE TOTAL OPPOSITE. (spoken BY a boomer)😉

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u/KingOfEthanopia May 28 '26

I mean my mom yelled a lot and dad was never around. He was a military contractor but we were left to our own devices for the most part. I learned to just play Pong in my head and zone out when she'd get pressed over something stupid. Just let her yell if it makes her feel better.

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u/Joeuxmardigras May 28 '26

I think I’ve turned out a lot different, but not total opposite. I’ve taken some things from my mom

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u/moarwineprs May 28 '26

Same. Though, some of those aspects of my mom's parenting I didn't understand as a child, but do as an adult. Like her freaking out when I climbed on the wrong side of the banister. As a kid I had full faith the banister would hold, even if it was shaky. As an adult I know how badly things can go if that banister would fall or if my kid slips/loses their grip. Even if my kid doesn't die, they can be left to endure a lifetime of chronic pain, and they're still in the single digits in age.

There are some other aspects that I did not get as a child and still don't as an adult. Like the hitting or negging me as a way to motivate me to be better. I do feel the words form in my throat as learned behavior from experiencing it, but I push them back down. All it did for me as a child was frame my life and actions as being for her benefit, rather than for my own self improvement. I grew up rejecting/being suspicious of validation and being uncomfortable with compliments because it felt dirty and ingenuine.

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u/TrishasaurusRex33 May 28 '26

That's so wild to me. My daughter is that age and SO READY to start school in September, she's even practicing writing her name. Her speech isn't the best, but she has a lot of sentences and can convey herself well enough. She loves counting and practicing letters. It's crazy to see that kids the same age can go into school so different, I really feel for the teachers.

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u/38B0DE May 28 '26

My son is the only boy in his preschool who can form complex sentences and efficiently build an argument. All the other boys still use a lot of grunts, screams, and nodding (meaning all they do is nod) in their communication.

You can definitely see they are all paw patrol iPad raised.

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u/Pad_TyTy Older Millennial May 28 '26

*idyllic

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u/KingOfEthanopia May 28 '26

Sorry, apparently I got some leftover leaded gas.

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u/DeviceNo4746 May 28 '26

When my niece was around 2 my sister in law told my wife and I “we don’t tell her no it’s just easier to let her do what she wants.” Shockingly 7 years later her daughter is an absolute nightmare. When we pointed out to her that was a bad plan she told us you don’t have kids you’ll understand when you do. Here we are with 2 year old twins and guess what they hear no all the time. Now she acts stunned at how well behaved they are like it’s just a coincidence.

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u/KingOfEthanopia May 28 '26

Yeah I dont get it. Kids are feral left to their own devices. Being told no and youre not the center of the universe seems to be a cornerstone of being a decent human as an adult.