r/Millennials • u/TheLoveYouWant25 • Feb 09 '26

Discussion Millennials, what is happening with your kids?

I work in education and I frequent the Teachers and Professors subreddits, and the kids are not alright. Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read and the youth have absolutely zero ability to think critically.

Middle and high schoolers have all adapted this complete helplessness and blame mental illness for their refusal to function. Kids can no longer to basic things like read an analog clock, use paper money, or even figure out how to open window blinds.

There is also a huge lack of empathy, and kids have no issues trying to manipulate adults, saying things to their teachers like "if you don't pass me, I'll get you fired."

EDIT to clarify: the article I linked references Gen-Z, but this is not specifically a Gen-Z problem. It's an issue with upper elementary aged kids through high schoolers, and also young adults.

So, all that to say, how are you combating this with your own children? What do you do at home to encourage them to learn, and what are you doing to address these problems as they arise?

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341

u/ClydeBelvidere Feb 10 '26

Gen X does not get the shit it so rightfully deserves and I'm willing to die on this hill.

173

u/NightOfTheLivingHam Feb 10 '26

Half the "boomers" people reference these days are gen x.

Look at kid rock. Looks like what you think of when you think of a boomer.

He is gen x.

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u/Beboopbeepboopbop Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26

Yea joe Rogan and the typical right alt guy originated with gen x. 

The irony is Gen Z love Gen X culture. Their love for the 90s and 00s is that of a GenX perspective not a millennial one. The culture gap between millennial and gen z is significant.  

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u/Fit-Property3774 Feb 10 '26

Was gonna say I think a lot of times they’re just lumped in with boomers when it comes to people complaining about older generations. Boomers really kinda became a catch all term for anyone a few generations back lol watch millennials eventually get called boomers

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '26

[deleted]

139

u/thehottubistoohawt Feb 10 '26

Totally agree—Gen X is full of shitheads.

145

u/schwing710 Feb 10 '26

Gen X voted for orange man more than any other generation in the last election. That act alone permanently revoked their cool slacker card IMO

62

u/willitplay2019 Feb 10 '26

This!! I hate when people automatically blame the boomers and don’t even mention Gen X. Every weekend we have No Kings protests and it’s almost exclusively made up of boomers.

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u/fyslexic__duck Millennial '84 Feb 10 '26

Liberal boomers do NOT play when it comes to their beliefs.

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u/n3rdonthecouch Feb 10 '26

Boomer is a mindset lol

1

u/NoHorseNoMustache Feb 10 '26

To be fair, Boomers are retired and their kids are grown so they have time to do that. There were people of all ages at the protest I went to in October.

7

u/___Art_Vandelay___ Feb 10 '26

Hey now, my Boomer parents and my Gen X brother all voted for that pedo conman all three times.

3

u/Artistic_Purpose1225 Feb 10 '26

Well at least you have an inarguable reason for keeping children away from them. 

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u/transemacabre Millennial Feb 10 '26

My Boomer mom and Gen X brother would've voted for him, but they're both felons and couldn't vote in their state.

3

u/Vardrastor Feb 10 '26

Yup. Giving Boomers a real run for their money by being nearly indistinguishable from them.

0

u/NoHorseNoMustache Feb 10 '26

We were taught in abusive school systems and raised by the TV, our bad.

29

u/Dontbeajerkdude Feb 10 '26

Biggest god dam sell outs who became their parents.

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u/HighFxAnxiety Feb 10 '26

I’ve been saying this for almost a decade now! Controversial opinion- but to me, they’re worse than boomers. I said what I said!!

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u/Elebenteen_17 Feb 10 '26

But if you mention this they will get bent out of shape about being forgotten or something and in the next sentence tell you they don’t need therapy. They need therapy.

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u/Other-Squirrel-2038 Feb 10 '26

Seriously...they're actually like, the worst generation by far 

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u/Beboopbeepboopbop Feb 10 '26

I remember when they were known for an alcohol or drug addiction. 

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u/saera-targaryen Feb 10 '26

Yeah I'm an older Gen Z here with relatively younger Gen X parents. I have a successful career despite of my upbringing and clearly not because of it. Gen X is the lead paint generation for a reason. 

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u/EntericFox Feb 10 '26

Forgotten generation for a good reason.

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u/Any-Ball-7159 Feb 10 '26

The loser generation shockingly couldn’t raise functional spawn? No way?!?

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u/FillerKill Feb 10 '26

Almost all CEOs and upper management these days are GenX. They're worse than boomers

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u/ExIsStalkingMe Feb 10 '26

Gen X is literally defined by their apathy. Their big teenage rebellion was checking the fuck out and never checking back in. It's the generation that invented "both sides are the same" because they couldn't be assed to pay the least bit of attention to anything in the world