Younger Generations Can't Handle 10 Basic Life Hardships Boomers & Gen X Dealt With In Childhood
My Agency | Shutterstock Life looks entirely different for every age group, even for individuals whose childhoods are only a decade apart.
Every generation also has its own strengths and weaknesses, both of which are also evolving every day, as our society demands different things from people. For example, younger generations can't handle certain basic life hardships, even though baby boomers and Gen Xers dealt with them early in their lives. They didn't have the same childhood experiences and opportunities, and while they still face adversity, it's in way more unique ways.
Basic hardships boomers and Gen X dealt with early in life that Gen Zers can't handle
1. Dating entirely in person
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While this was certainly more of an adolescence and young adulthood experience for boomers and Gen Xers, all the dating struggles older generations faced came from in-person interactions. They couldn't hide behind a screen or rely on dating apps to go out with people. They had to make a good first impression and actually schedule dates together.
Dating apps and internet accessibility bring about all kinds of consequences for young people dating today, including choice overload from having too many options, but they look so much different from traditional dating etiquette and struggles.
2. Managing doctors' appointments
So many Gen Zers are struggling to keep up with doctors' appointments and health because they don't know how to make appointments or don't want to talk on the phone. Their barriers to social etiquette are affecting their social circles and connectedness, but they're also directly affecting health and well-being.
Yes, it was a basic hardship for young Gen Xers and boomers to have to schedule appointments or speak with doctors on their own, but for young people today, the adversity looks entirely different.
3. Making new friends offline
Many Gen Zers find social connection a lot harder than other generations. They're isolated in their homes and reliant on screens for a sense of comfort while navigating the world, making it harder for them to truly build relationships and new connections. Compared to older generations, they're slowly losing the social skills it takes to make friends offline.
On top of all kinds of financial barriers to modern community, making friends happens almost entirely on the internet. It's become somewhat of an obligation, especially when so many young people don't have the social skills to speak with strangers and find shared interests with a new person.
4. Managing uncertainty
One of the biggest challenges for young people at work and in professional spaces today is their lack of social skills. They can't handle uncertainty in conversations and interactions because they often rehearse and script social situations for a sense of comfort and security. For many, avoidance is their way of coping.
However, for Gen Xers and baby boomers, not only are in-person conversations and interactions much easier, but they also seek them out. They'd prefer in-person meetings and conversations over offline emails and texts. They find it easier and more respectful to connect in person.
5. Being truly alone
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Gen Xers and many boomers are characterized by their loneliness and solitude as kids. They were not only the least parented generations, but also spent tons of time out of the house, playing in the neighborhood without any kind of supervision.
Their self-reliance was an obligation and something they needed to grow into, compared to many young kids today who are coddled and have technology as a buffer to true independence.
They experienced true boredom without screens. They had to fill their time without technology and online entertainment. They were disconnected from people when they were alone, instead of having someone just one text away.
6. Job hunting with limited information
Compared to older generations who were somewhat promised a job after graduating from college and could realistically find any sort of job in specific newspaper sections or through family friends within a week, Gen Zers are struggling. Not only is their investment in higher education not paying off, but they're struggling to find even the most basic employment.
For Gen Zers, information is spread out over thousands of forums and a million different environments. It adds more stress and overwhelm to young people's plates. Especially with such a high level of competition and financial struggles, there are even more barriers to young people's success entering the workplace, even though there is more accessible information.
Yes, they're dealing with the hardship of earning income and landing a job, but the job market struggles and the limited information older generations had to work with are entirely different from what young people are facing today.
7. Waiting and saving
Not only are young people not saving, but many are "doomspending" to cope with the state of the world and their lack of future investments to save for. They're used to the instant gratification of their phones and having everything at their fingertips, so they're less patient than older generations.
Their boomer and Gen X counterparts had no choice but to wait. Yes, they were taught patience through mandatory boredom and time spent alone, but their parents also instilled in them an inherent patience and frugality simply because of the social context they grew up in.
Young people might be delaying major life events and decisions, but when it comes to daily entertainment and stimulation, they're a bit more impulsive.
8. Entertaining themselves
Many of the hobbies and rituals older generations carry with them today are directly informed by their childhood experiences. The things they did to entertain themselves without parents at home and spent quality time with their friends are likely the things that informed their adult identity and routines.
Older generations formed their personhood through the adversities of entertaining themselves. Yes, Gen Z deals with their own unique struggles at the hands of internet entertainment and mindless scrolling, but they can't handle the stillness and quietness of entertaining themselves through solitude.
9. Cooking for every meal
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Most older generations know that cooking at home and making do with what they had was a necessity growing up. There was no DoorDash for convenience, and in the economic situation they were in, going out to eat was nothing short of a luxury for special occasions.
Many young people today, whether they're spending money they have or not, are dependent on food deliveries and instant gratification. Some don't even have the basic cooking skills to make something for themselves when they need to.
10. Remembering someone's phone number
Even if it seems like one of the most basic conveniences of their cell phones today, Gen Zers take having saved contacts for granted. Whether it was meeting a new friend or mingling in a community, boomers and Gen Xers were constantly flexing their memory muscles to remember people's phone numbers.
It was part of the charm and intentionality of talking to someone on the phone or meeting someone new. They were invested or interested because the mere act of remembering someone's number and taking the time to call them meant more than it does today.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
