Woman teaching her boomer mom about millennial parenting brings humor to the generational gap

In today’s fast-paced world, a generational gap emerges roughly every five years, impacting various aspects of life, including parenting styles. This is evident in the evolving approach toward raising children. Professional writer Taylor Wolfe (@thedailytay on Instagram) set out to highlight this when she decided to teach her boomer mom about millennial parenting. Through humor and insight, Wolfe demonstrated how modern parents often hold themselves to impossible standards, overthinking every aspect of their behavior around their children.

In the video, Wolfe shared a humorous interaction with her mom, Sandy, during a park visit. Standing before a spiral slide, the writer gave her first example of modern parenting values. The content creator corrected her mother for saying "be careful" when a child was joyfully sliding. “We don’t say be careful anymore. Instead, say, ‘What’s your plan here?’” she told her mom. Sandy, clearly amused by the response, wittily retorted, asking if her daughter even knew her own plans.

“I don’t even know my plan. Do you know your plan?” the boomer mom quipped. The next lesson the millennial mom imparted was to be more empathetic with kids rather than authoritative. When Sandy, the grandma, asked her grandson to stop hitting his sister, Wolfe intervened. “Don’t say stop. Just say gentle,” she explained. Sandy, clearly puzzled by the change in language, responded, “Gentle what?” Wolfe replied, “Gentle hands. Gentle everything.”

Thereafter, Wolfe told her mom she needed to reframe her statements to focus on the child’s feelings and achievements. “You should say, ‘You should be so proud,’” she suggested. Sandy was taken aback, asking, “I’m not supposed to tell kids I’m proud of them anymore?” Wolfe explained, “That’s putting the focus on you.” She then shared another lesson: to slow down and use more positive language, emphasizing the importance of creating a nurturing environment. In response to Sandy saying, “Hurry up. We got to go,” Wolfe suggested a more emotionally sensitive approach: “Don’t rush. We’re fine. If you rush children, it makes them anxious.” She explained that her mom's habit of rushing her during her childhood made her anxious growing up. Later, when Sandy told her grandkids, “Watch out,” Wolfe advised that she instead ask, “Do you feel safe here?” To which Sandy humorously replied, “I don’t feel safe about any of this sh**,” as the video wrapped up.

The video, highlighting the contrast between boomer and millennial parenting styles, has amassed over 24 million views. Viewers in the comments section shared their thoughts, expressing how relatable the generational differences in parenting were. @t_dubya237 shared, “I prefer, ‘That’s going to hurt if you do it, but if you still want to do it, don’t come crying to me’ style of parenting.” @olivia_fern_maltipoo emphasized, “Seriously, it’s one of the funniest parenting videos of all time. You are just making light of all of the pressures society tries to put on moms, and the underlying message here is do what feels right for you.”

You can follow Taylor Wolfe (@thedailytay) on Instagram for more parenting and lifestyle content.