Every Generation Thinks It Had It Hardest. Unfortunately, They’re All Right.
“Kids these days…” Humanity’s longest-running podcast. Every generation has hosted it. Every generation has subscribed to it. And every generation genuinely believes they invented suffering. Boomers think Millennials are lazy. Millennials think Boomers are out of touch. Gen Z thinks everyone needs therapy. Gen X… well, they’re somewhere in the background quietly minding their business, wondering how they got dragged into this again. Somewhere, Gen Alpha is watching all of us fight while asking ChatGPT to summarize the argument in three bullet points.
Humanity is healing.
Congratulations…!! We’ve officially reached the point where four generations are standing in the same room, each convinced the other three are doing life incorrectly. (Oops..!! Wait. We forgot Gen X again. They probably won’t mind. They’re used to it.😉.!!)
Here’s the ultimate truth nobody likes to admit. Every generation was shaped by the world it inherited. The problem begins when it expects the next generation to survive a completely different world using the same survival guide. That’s like handing someone a map of the Roman Empire and saying, “Good luck finding the airport.
Boomers: “We Worked Hard.”
Absolutely..boss. Nobody sensible is denying that. Absolutely. Respect where it’s due. They built careers without Google, survived without GPS, queued for everything, repaired things instead of replacing them, and somehow reached their destination using nothing but paper maps and blind optimism. If the TV stopped working, they fixed it. If the fan made a weird noise, they became the engineer. If someone said, “Just Google it,” they’d have assumed Google was the new neighbour.
They fought their battles with the tools they had, and honestly, they deserve credit for that. But here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody says out loud. Boomers often compare effort without comparing the battlefield.
Your first job didn’t require:
Five interview rounds, Three unpaid internships, Personal branding.
LinkedIn networking, ATS-friendly resumes.
AI skills, Excel, Python and Emotional intelligence. And “3 years of experience” for an entry-level job.
Today’s young adults aren’t running from work they’re running an obstacle course. But then…Somewhere along the journey, many Boomers accidentally convinced themselves that because their road was difficult, every future road should look exactly the same.
News flash.
Imagine explaining to someone paying half their salary in rent that the real problem is buying guacamole once a month.
That’s confidence.
To be fair, Boomers aren’t refusing change because they’re villains. They’re refusing it because the rulebook that made them successful expired without sending a notification. That’s confusing for anyone.
News flash. Imagine explaining to someone paying half their salary in rent that the real problem is buying guacamole once a month.
That’s confidence…!!To be fair, Boomers aren’t refusing change because they’re villains. They’re refusing it because the rulebook that made them successful expired without sending a notification. That’s confusing for anyone.
Millennials: The Generation That Followed Every Rule…
Millennials were given the greatest motivational speech in history.
“Study hard.” “Get a degree.””Get a good job.” “Everything will work out.” So they did.
Then adulthood replied,
“LOL.”
Degrees became the minimum requirement. Experience became mandatory before getting experience. Entry-level jobs started demanding five years of experience, three software certifications, leadership skills, fluent communication, and apparently the ability to resurrect Excel spreadsheets from the dead.
Nobody mentioned adulthood would come with subscriptions of Netflix, Spotify, Cloud storage, Health insurance, Rent, EMIs and an emotional support coffee costing more than yesterday’s petrol.
Millennials weren’t lied to intentionally. They were handed yesterday’s instruction manual for today’s software update. Nobody would have imagined that adulthood will arrived with bonus features nobody ordered such as rising Housing prices, Inflation, Gig economy, Student loans, AI replacing jobs, Constant comparison through social media, Mental burnout before thirty. Adulthood now includes a monthly software update exactly like apps running in a smart phone.
Plot Twist: Parenting Got an Update..
Millennials & Gen Z: Raising Children While Boomers Raise Eyebrows
One special thing deserves its own round of applause, or at least a collective moment of silence. Millennials and genz’s toughest battle nowadays isn’t just inflation, impossible house prices, or wondering whether AI is quietly interviewing for their job. It’s parenting.
They’re raising children for a future they themselves don’t fully understand while politely smiling through unsolicited parenting advice from relatives still running the “Because I Said So™” software update.
Today’s parents are trying to fix what they wish they haven’t received, emotional intelligence, mental health awareness, healthy habits, communication skills, and preparing kids for an AI-powered future instead of the world that existed thirty years ago. Meanwhile, they’re expected to be perfect parents, perfect employees, nutritionists, financial planners, screen-time police… and somehow remember tomorrow is costume day at school. Parents today don’t fear bad report cards. They fear their child being addicted to a screen they themselves bought.
And the moment they try something different? Every aunt becomes UNICEF, every uncle earns an honorary PhD in child psychology, and every grandparent suddenly remembers raising 47 perfectly behaved children.
Millennials aren’t rejecting old wisdom. They’re simply asking for one tiny favour: let us raise tomorrow’s children with tomorrow’s rulebook, not yesterday’s.
Gen Z: Too Sensitive… Or Just Finally Saying It Out Loud?
The generation that gets roasted for having feelings. They are critisisized for being too emotional, Too soft, Too outspoken, Too online, Too opinionated. Previous generations bottled emotions so deeply they could probably hear them echoing.
Gen Z looked around and said, “Maybe we should talk about anxiety.” Half the internet replied, “Look how weak they’ve become.” It’s fascinating, For decades people complained, “Men don’t express emotions., “Nobody talks about mental health.” “People suffer in silence.”
Now an entire generation talks about mental health, boundaries, burnout, emotional intelligence, toxic workplaces, manipulation, and therapy…..and somehow that’s the problem? Apparently we’re only allowed to discuss feelings after retirement….or what?? Gen Z didn’t invent anxiety. They just stopped pretending it didn’t exist.
Sure, Gen Z can occasionally turn a minor inconvenience into a five-slide Instagram carousel. But they also grew up in a world where comparison is available 24 hours a day, jobs are uncertain, AI is rewriting industries overnight, and social media can decide your self-worth before breakfast. Calling them “too sensitive” is a bit like criticizing someone for carrying an umbrella while it’s raining.
Gen Alpha: The Children Who’ll Never Know What Buffering Was
Adults love saying, “Kids these days…”As if Gen Alpha held a secret meeting before birth and voted for tablets. They didn’t invent AI, social media, Smartphone. Adults did, then adults handed them the devices. Then adults complained that children were using them. That’s like giving someone ice cream and getting angry because they started eating it.
Gen Alpha is growing up in a world where asking AI a homework question feels as normal as asking a teacher. By the time they become adults, they may work alongside AI, compete with robots, and explain to us why hologram meetings are “more efficient.”One day they’ll probably laugh when we say, “I remember typing.”Gen Alpha is being raised by parents who Google parenting advice…while grandparents Google why the parents are parenting incorrectly. These children don’t ask for bedtime stories. They ask Alexa. Their first argument won’t be over TV channels. It’ll be over screen-time settings. At four they’ll probably explain AI to their parents before they can properly tie their own shoelaces.
And somehow…Adults will still insist,”They don’t know the real world.” Interesting…!! Isn’t it..Because the world they’re growing into barely resembles yours. They’re preparing for careers that don’t exist yet. Competing with artificial intelligence before they’ve learnt algebra.
Trying to understand climate change, digital privacy, deepfakes and automation before they’ve even figured out fractions. But yes…Please continue explaining how climbing mango trees prepared you for this.
Gen X: Congratulations on Being Forgotten… Again.
Oops. We forgot Gen X.
Again.
Honestly, at this point it’s less of a mistake and more of a personality trait for society. Boomers and Millennials have been arguing so loudly for decades that Gen X quietly walked past, grabbed a cup of tea, and went back to minding their own business. They’re the forgotten middle child of generations—rarely blamed, rarely praised, just… there. While everyone else is busy starting culture wars on the internet, Gen X has mastered the ancient art of saying, “Whatever,” and carrying on with life. They somehow escaped most generational drama simply because everyone forgets to invite them to it.
Raised on latchkey afternoons, mixtapes, and the early internet, Gen X developed a strong sense of independence and a healthy skepticism of authority. They grew up adapting to rapid technological change, from rotary phones to smartphones, without making a big deal about it. Practical, resourceful, and quietly resilient, they tend to value work-life balance, privacy, and self-reliance. While others chase trends, Gen X is more likely to shrug, fix the problem themselves, and move on.
Every Generation Secretly Thinks The Next One Is Broken
Let’s be honest. Boomers secretly think Millennials complain too much. Millennials secretly think Gen Z lives online. Gen Z secretly thinks Boomers refuse to evolve. Gen Alpha will eventually think all of us are prehistoric. Congratulations…!! Humanity has remained consistent. The funniest part?Every generation inherits the problems created by the previous one…..then gets blamed for not solving them fast enough.
Every generation mistakes unfamiliarity for decline. Just because someone solves problems differently doesn’t mean they’re solving easier problems. Maybe the Real Problem Isn’t the Kids maybe it’s us. Maybe every generation reaches an age where change starts feeling like criticism. Maybe “kids these days” is just another way of saying, “I don’t recognize the world anymore.” That’s a scary feeling. But it’s also normal. History has repeated this conversation for centuries. The only thing that changes is who’s complaining.
So… Who Had It Hardest?
The generation rebuilding after wars?
The generation surviving recessions?
The generation drowning in student debt?
The generation growing up with social media?
The generation competing with AI?
Wrong question.
Every generation fought the monster standing in front of it. The problem is that dragons rarely look alike. You can’t compare a recession to climate anxiety. You can’t compare affordable homes with impossible house prices. You can’t compare life before the internet with life where your reputation can be destroyed by a 15-second video.
Stop Comparing Scars..
Different battles. Different scars. Same human experience. The biggest mistake every generation makes is believing pain only counts if it looks familiar. Physical labour counts. Mental burnout counts. Financial insecurity counts. War counts. Loneliness counts. Raising children in uncertain times counts. Trying to build a future while technology keeps changing the rules every six months also counts. Pain doesn’t become invalid just because it arrived wearing different clothes.
stop comparing scar...! He is innocent though😆. ifykyk!
Before We Judge The Next Generation…
Boomers weren’t weak. Millennials aren’t lazy. Gen Z isn’t broken and Gen Alpha isn’t doomed. Also GenX is not forgotten. Don’t blame the blog if you keep forgetting genX 😆. They’re all products of the world they inherited. Every generation solved the problems it was given and accidentally created new ones for the next. That’s not failure. That’s civilization.
So the next time you’re tempted to say, “Back in my day…” Pause for a second. Because one day, a child who hasn’t even been born yet will look at your generation, laugh at your outdated technology, question your parenting, roll their eyes at your opinions, and say the exact same thing.
Remember this.
One day Gen Alpha will complain about whatever comes after them.
They’ll say,
“Back in my day, we had to type.”
Their children will laugh because keyboards no longer exist.
And somewhere, an even younger generation will roll their eyes and whisper,
“Okay, fossil.”
The tragedy is that we spend so much time comparing scars that we forget to admire the resilience it took to survive them.
So the next time you hear someone say,
“Kids these days…”
Ask them one question: compared to which world? Because that’s the part everyone forgets. And that’s exactly why every generation thinks it had it hardest.
Unfortunately…They’re all right.
Before You Go…
If this blog offended you, there’s a decent chance you’re the generation it was talking about. Don’t worry, every generation has been professionally judging the next one since humans discovered fire.
While you’re recovering, take a stroll through our blog on why women are still expected to adjust more than men, because some family traditions refuse to retire. Then read our take on emotional intelligence, where we investigate the shocking modern phenomenon of people… expressing emotions. And if you’re curious about the world today’s kids are actually inheriting, check out our deep dive into AI and emerging technologies. Turns out understanding the future is slightly more productive than repeatedly saying, “Back in my day…”
