No matter which generation we’re a part of, we all want the best for our children, and we’re ready to put in the work to make that happen. Millennial parents have opportunities, resources, and challenges, that their parents never encountered or envisioned, which has led to some considerable differences in how millennials approach parenting.
Research shows that millennials—those born between 1981 and 1996—may be the most family-oriented generation in the last 50 years. “Many children now grow up in houses with two working parents or with one parent,” according to Dr. Kathleen Gerson, author of The Unfinished Revolution: Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work, and Family.
Every generation of parents develops its signature parenting style. So how are millennial parents raising kids differently than previous generations?
1. Millennials Are Waiting Longer to Start Families
For many reasons, including career decisions and financial constraints, young adults wait longer to have children than any generation before them.
According to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green University, in 2017, the average age a first-time mother was 26.8. While in 1970, the average age of a first-time mother was 21.4 years. Access to more safe birth control has also helped to raise the age of first-time mothers.
2. Family Structure Is Open to Interpretation
The notion of what a traditional family is changing in the new millennium, as the number of single parents and LGBTQ, is increasing.
Married couples cover 68% of parents in the 21st century, compared to 93% in the 1950s.
As of 2017, between 2 million and 3.7 million children under age 18 had an LGBTQ parent, and same-sex couples raised approximately 200,000 children. Also, more women choose to be single parents each year, leaving the stigma of being a single mother in the past.
3. Millennial parents spend more time with their children
The research shows that today’s parents are spending more time with their children, even though countless families now have two working parents.
Most millennial families, mainly those with two working parents, adopt a “co-parenting” method. Duties for all things kid-related are divided more or less equally between both parents, so they spend a lot of time with kids even taking them places in the street and that’s why parent and child bay markings are important and people can find a way to install them if they click here.
Fathers are far more enthusiastic about parenting responsibilities than dads of previous generations. According to Boston College’s Center for Work and Family, 85% of millennial fathers state that they want to spend more time with their children.
A 2016 study showed that fathers in the ’60s spent about 16 minutes a day with their kids. Nowadays they are spending about an hour a day.
4. Millennial Parents Consider Positive Parenting
Millennials use parenting techniques like self-esteem promotion, no physical punishments, positive reinforcement, and non-authoritarian team-based methods. They want their kids to build self-esteem by focusing on the positives and allowing them to have more freedom when it comes to their choices.
According to a study by CrowdTap, the No. 1 value today’s parents want their kids to have is, by far, respect (34.5%), followed by responsibility (16%). Other important values include honesty and compassion.
Millennial parents look for ways to be more involved and let their kids participate in the decision-making process. Instead of forcing them to aim for perfection, they keep it real by having candid conversations with their little ones.
5. Parents Share a Lot On Social Media
Social media is a big part of our lives, and it has changed how we communicate. Most millennial parents are comfortable sharing information about their children online via social media platforms.
About 90% of Millennial parents use social media as compared to 59% of baby boomers and 76% of Gen-Xers. Millennial moms spend about 17 hours per week on social media, almost like a part-time job. From the first sonogram to high school graduation, most parents are constantly sharing their children’s lives online.
There is also a growing group of parents who are becoming more cautious about what they share online. We must keep in mind that oversharing is not always a good thing.
6. Millennial Parents Are More Concerned About Safety.
“Today, most families, regardless of their income or education level, want to keep their children as safe as possible,” Gerson says. “No one complains, for example, about buckling their children in car seats. For today’s families, this is just what good parenting requires.”
Referred to as “digital natives,” millennial parents are the first-ever generation to have safety tips at their fingertips constantly. This is not necessarily a good thing as this 2017 New York Times article suggests. While having lots of apps and digital advice can be helpful, it can also make parents question if they’re doing the right thing.
Millennial parents want to protect their kids in any way possible from bike helmets, stroller safety belts, to wide-brimmed sunhats to protect kids’ skin.
7. Millennial Parents Tend to Schedule Everything
More free time is something we all want. With busy work plans, it’s harder for parents nowadays to function without a schedule; this includes children’s activities. If in the past, you would see kids freely wandering the streets and going to each other’s houses, now parents have to schedule playdates for kids to spend time with each other.
“Work weeks have expanded…and this has trickled down into the lives of children,” Gerson says.
Even ‘free time” is planned, as is “screen time”. This scheduling is likely to be a result of increasing safety concerns (see point above) and busier lives.
“Even amid new economic uncertainties, most parents are doing their best to give their children whatever they need to grow up and find a stable future in an increasingly unpredictable world,” according to Dr. Kathleen Gerson.