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

Screenshot of Emily Austin; Billie Eilish
@emilyraustin/X; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards

MAGA Influencer Dragged After Calling Billie Eilish's Anti-ICE Speech At Grammys 'Shameful'

MAGA sports journalist Emily Austin was mocked online after sharing her disapproval for singer Billie Eilish's speech condemning ICE, which got a standing ovation from the crowd.

Eilish, who received the Grammy Award for "Song of the Year" with her brother Finneas O'Connell for their work on the song "Wildflower," used her time onstage to call out President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown as outrage grows around the country following the murders of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents.

Keep ReadingShow less
Melania Trump
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

MAGA Bots Come Out In Full Force After Melania's New Documentary Gets Abysmal Score On 'Rotten Tomatoes'

First Lady Melania Trump's new documentary was critically panned on its opening weekend, but MAGA bots have come out in full force with enough gushing reviews to give the film a near-perfect audience score on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

Melania follows current First Lady Melania Trump in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration following the 2024 presidential election. The film was directed by Brett Ratner, who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by at least six women.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Trevor Noah
Annabelle Gibson/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Trump Threatens To Sue 'Total Loser' Trevor Noah Over Joke About Him And Epstein During Grammys

President Donald Trump lashed out at Grammys host Trevor Noah after Noah made a joke during the broadcast linking Trump's obsession with controlling Greenland to Trump's former friend and associate Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced financier and convicted pedophile and sex trafficker.

Trump has continued his push to seize control of Greenland from Denmark. He has reiterated his reasoning that owning Greenland is crucial to domestic and international security, dismissing the fact the territory is under the control of a key ally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shot of a group of signs from ice protests.
Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash

Family Of ICE Agents Explain How They Really Feel About Their Relative's Job

People need jobs, but some jobs might not be worth the personal loss.

How do we all deal with loved ones who sign up for something we vehemently disagree with?

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter
John Shearer/The Recording Academy/Getty Images

Video Of Sabrina Carpenter's Reaction To Losing All Six Grammys She Was Nominated For Has Fans Gutted For Her

Sabrina Carpenter has been in her winning era for the last few years, but it seems the Grammys did not get that memo this year.

Carpenter fans were excited and confident that the Man's Best Friend singer would take it all home when she was nominated in six categories for the evening, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Solo Pop Performance, and Best Music Video.

Keep ReadingShow less