Kids

8 Reasons Millennials Struggle To Achieve What Their Parents Have

by Kevyn Gohu
June 21, 2022

Here are reasons why millennials view success differently compared to their parents.

Certain milestones have always caused a rift between millennials and their parents. With the world developing at a strange pace that is both too quick and too slow, millennials find themselves struggling as they try to make a life for themselves especially when trying to meet the expectations they were taught by their parents. As parents, however, we need to recognize these reasons why millennials struggle to achieve and gain what we have.

1. The inflated economy eats away at their savings.

Things are not as cheap as they used to be. Many still dream of the days when rice used to be P20 per kilo. But that’s no longer the case. Farmers have lost motivation due to big corporations buying their lands, middlemen taking advantage of them, and gas climbing. Saving gets harder every year.

2. Lifestyle trend: House to Condo

20 to 30 years ago, Metro Manila had more open lots and lands to build houses in. But because all the high-paying work was centralized in Metro Manila, condominiums were built in response to help workers commute easily. At this point, there’s a slim chance to none that millennials can build a house that’s right next to their parents—no matter how much their parents kick up a fuss about it.

3. Kids are a big financial responsibility.

Many millennial women don’t want to have kids because they remember seeing how hard it was for their parents to take care of them. And their response? “In this economy? You’ve got to be joking!” Raised on the traditional mindset that being a parent means giving one’s kid the best, they know that to obtain the best needs a lot of money. Something not everyone has.

4. Millennials are aware of how society’s toxicity destroyed their parents.

Ever wonder why millennials sound so cynical to their parents? It’s because they were there when the internet started—creating an avenue for the vast well of knowledge. Back when fake news couldn’t travel as fast, millennials ventured into topics that weren’t normally and openly talked about. Along with the progressing research in Psychology, millennials are now more aware of how society destroyed their parents and are fighting to change that.

5. Millennials know that some of their parents’ values don’t hold water anymore.

One of the biggest rifts between parents and millennials is the supposed change in their belief systems. Utang ng loob, parental invulnerability, lack of flexibility—these are the things millennials have seen destroy their parents and other families. Coupled with witnessing other family cultures on social media, millennials are choosing to break the old system. However, this makes them clash with many existing companies that still cling to the old belief systems.

6. Underlying issues are only coming up now.

For the sake of progress, many big companies ignored the damage their progress caused. Although given projections, sustainability was seen as “cutting corners” which led to the damages. Millennials are currently inheriting a world with a broken system, society, and many other things. Because millennials took it upon themselves to leave the world better than they left it, they’re doing all sorts of mental gymnastics to fix the issues.

7. They’ve seen the other sides of the world.

Their parents came from a world where they didn’t need to think about anybody else but their families. Unfortunately, millennials can’t do that anymore. Social media gave millennials a window into what life is like in other places. These windows then make them more cautious about doing certain things—which can cause a rift between millennials and parents.

8. Millennials are still healing themselves from their past trauma.

Some millennials find themselves struggling because they’re trying to adjust and unlearn a lot of things from their parents that they know don’t work in society anymore. However, what a lot of people tend to forget is that healing isn’t linear. There will be pitfalls before ultimately healing themselves.

Millennials choose to carve their own paths.

The biggest complaint from a lot of people, company owners, or just society in general is how they can’t seem to control millennials. But that’s because millennials are learning to find their own way. For them, money will come after a lot of society’s issues are resolved. Unfortunately, a lot of the unresolved issues can cause rifts between millennials and their parents. But the important part is focusing on the actual problem. Rather than just letting our emotions get the better of us.