Boomers get a bad reputation for not understanding how expensive the world is today and for not being present for their children. The complaint list for boomers is so long that you’d believe they’ve never done anything good. But surely, the people starting to settle into retirement, or at least the idea of it, have contributed something to the younger generations.
While it may be a trend to dunk on boomers, they did some pretty cool things. They were alive when the first man walked on the moon. Many of the older boomers were college kids protesting for civil rights and against the Vietnam War in the ’60s. They were part of the hippie movement, which led to the legalization of birth control for unmarried women in 1972. Boomers were also the generation that saw women get the right to open a bank account without their husband or father’s signature.
So, clearly, the folks younger generations like to poke fun at did some pretty amazing things, but what good things did they teach their children? Millennials have spoken.
In a Reddit group dedicated to Xennials, the micro-generation between Gen X and Millennials posed the question, “What do you think was your best lesson learned by being raised by Boomers,” and they answered.
“I’m 41. My parents were both born in ‘48. They have always been fairly liberal, artsy types. The best thing I learned from them is that racism, sexism and homophobia is wrong and we should all actively work to make the world a better place. Also, that societal expectations are arbitrary and that you should carve your own path and be yourself,” one person wrote.
“I was born in ‘79 (mom 1955 and dad 1949 so both boomers). The best thing I learned from then was to not make excuses and be independent. They were not neglectful but they weren’t helicopter parents and let me suffer the consequences of my actions when I messed up,” another said.
Boomers playing Jenga. Photo credit: Canva
“Boomer parents taught me about cool hippie era counterculture stuff and gave me a leg up on having music, literature, and film nerd cred,” another commenter shared.
“My parents very much taught me how to do things for myself. I knew how to fix the minor things on my car, basic plumbing, electric, obviously I could mow a lawn and grow some plants. They taught me to cook more than just the bare bones, but tasty stuff. I could do laundry the right way. And my mom actually took time to teach me how to learn. Back in the day you needed to know how to use encyclopedias and librarians. She told me I needed to know how to ask the right questions to learn what was necessary. I think they did a great job with these,” one commenter responded.
For a generation that gets a lot of criticism, they did some pretty cool things and for their children to take a moment to recognize the good things about being raised by them is definitely a change in the right direction.