Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Therapist Calls Out Millennial And Boomer Parents—And Each Generation's Reactions Are So Telling

Screenshots from Stephanie Lindeman's TikTok videos
@stephanne221/TikTok

Family therapist and TikToker Stephanie Lindeman didn't realize she'd conducted a social experiment until after reading how Millennial parents responded to criticism versus Boomer parents.

Try as they might, no parent is going to be a perfect parent 100% of the time.

The difference is the accountability a parent takes when it's pointed out to them that they have messed up.


In a series of videos, Steph the Attachment Therapist on TikTok recently offered feedback to Millennial and Boomer parents, pointing out the key behavior that could impact their relationships with their children.

And the reactions to these videos were nothing short of eye-opening.

In the first video, Steph specifically addressed Millennial parents and the key behavior she believed would "f**k up their kids."

Being the generation that grew up alongside the rise of the internet and cellphones and the dawn of social media like MySpace and Facebook, it stands to reason that a key concern for parents in this generation would be spending too much time on their phones.

The attachment therapist pointed out that children of these parents would more likely have to fight harder for attention but would likely lose to the parent's screen time, which would send the message that they were not a top priority.

You can watch the Millennial parenting video here:

@stephanne221

Parenting psychology 101: what signals are you sending your children? Signals of attunement, or rejection? It’s natural to accidentally send signals of rejection, what’s critical is the ability to attune, validate, and repair. Also, this experiment was btwn a mom and a daughter so i focus on the mom-daughter caregiving bond, but this dynamic can be present for any caregiver-carereciever relationship. #mom #parentingtips #parenting #relationships #relationship #family #millennial #millennialmom #childhood #childhoodtrauma #generationaltrauma #psychology #attachment #attachmentstyle #therapy #therapytiktok #therapytok #mentalhealth #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

Heartwarmingly, most Millennial parents commented on the video to take accountability and seeking ways to do better.

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

Pleased with how this video went over, Steph recorded a follow-up video, this time focusing on Boomer parents.

According to Steph, Millennial parents are likely to have distant moments with their kids because of their attachment to technology, whereas Boomer parents are likely to distance themselves from their kids because of their lack of accountability.

It's a frequent feature in the parent-child dynamic for a child to try to voice their emotions only to be shut down by their Boomer parent, with the parent deflecting their behaviors back onto their child and blaming the child for their actions. This often leads these now adult children to not emotionally share with their parents, or to even go fully no contact with them.

You can watch the Boomer parenting video here:

@stephanne221

Accountability matters and can heal relationships. If youre a parent who is serious about improving your relationship with your children, this is for you! #parentingtips #parenting #relationships #relationship #family #boomer #childhood #childhoodtrauma #psychology #therapy #attachmentstyle #millennial #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #conflict #communication #healing #kids #okboomer #mentalhealth #therapy #therapytok

True to the video, the Boomers in the comments deflected their behavior and did not take accountability.

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

@stephanne221/TikTok

After seeing the comments, Steph had to come back and do a video on the accidental "social experiment" she'd conducted in the comments sections of these videos.

Millennials have become known as the generation that wants to pursue therapy for self-improvement and to break generational curses, while Boomers are often seen as a generation of narcissists, because of their habits of deflecting their behaviors onto other people and otherwise calling younger people "snowflakes" for trying to do better.

It's unfortunate to see this because when the Millennial parents used Steph's video as a tool to improve their parenting, the Boomer parents just acted as examples of what Steph was talking about in her Boomer video.

After Steph posted the "social experiment" video, most of the Boomer comments in the earlier video were deleted, but she was able to screenshot some in her video.

You can watch her video about the accidental "social experiment" here:

@stephanne221

So believe it or not, i accidentally gave both millennial parents and boomer parents feedback on how they injure their children, and wowow the results say a lot 🤯😳😳 #millennial #millennialsoftiktok #millennialmom #mom #parenting #parentingtips #kids #parenting101 #psychology #socialexperiment #boomer #boomerparents #socialexperiment #therapy #therapytiktok #mentalhealth #family #communication #healing #relationships #relationship #fyp #foryou #foryourpagе

All parents are going to mess up from time to time because they're human, and that is okay.

Again, the difference is that they do what they can to correct the mistake and take accountability for their actions.

Children who see their parents be human and accountable are more likely to stay in those relationships, rather than feel like they are responsible for their parents' behavior and feelings.

Definitely some food for thought.

More from Trending

'Doomsday' fish in Cabo San Lucas
@accuweather/X

Two 'Doomsday Fish' Just Washed Up On A Beach In Mexico—And Everyone's Saying The Same Thing

Okay, this is probably fine! Nobody panic! IT'S PROBABLY FINE. *sobs*

Two so-called "doomsday" fish, the mysterious deep-sea oarfish, beached themselves at the same time in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last month in what has come to be regarded as a warning and bad omen for millennia.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Trump voter Richard Stanley
MSNow

Broke Trump Voter Dragged After Admitting He Misses 'Uncle Joe' Biden As Gas Prices Surge

After MAGA Republican President Donald Trump decided to join Israel in attacking the sovereign nation of Iran, gas prices in the United States have jumped, with some parts of the country seeing prices over $4 or even $5 at the pumps.

MS NOW spoke to a man filling up his diesel pickup truck at a gas station in Lantana, Florida. Construction worker Richard Stanley identified himself as a Trump voter, then expressed regret over his choice.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump and Shawn McCreesh

Reporter Goes Viral For Bluntly Calling Trump Out To His Face For Suggesting Iran Bombed Girls School

New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh has gone viral after bluntly calling out President Donald Trump for suggesting that Iran somehow got a hold of Tomahawk missiles to bomb a girls' school in its own country on the first day of the war.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was criticized last week after she rejected reports that the U.S. struck a girls' elementary school in Iran, killing 175 people, insisting in remarks to the press pool that it's just Iranian "propaganda" that they've "fallen" for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alysa Liu
Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images

Alysa Liu Reveals That We've All Been Pronouncing Her Name Wrong—And Fans Are Stunned

It's always jarring when you see someone in the spotlight for years, only to realize that the way you've pronounced their name has been wrong. Take Taylor Lautner, for example!

Now the same is true for Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, whose name has been interpreted with a variety of pronunciations since she started skating professionally, with the most common being "ah-leash-ah" followed by "lou."

Keep ReadingShow less
Melania Trump
Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Melania Dragged After Bragging About Her 'Record-Breaking' Documentary Being Available On Streaming

Melania Trump's self-titled documentary is now available on the streaming platform that spent $75 million to make it, Amazon Prime.

Excited to get the word out, the FLOTUS posted an announcement on Elon Musk's social media platform X.

Keep ReadingShow less