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Millennials question how they're the 'the new parents' after not so classic lullaby goes viral

"Who left us in charge?????"

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Millennials question how they're 'the new parents.'

Millennials have always seemed to be the generation reminding folks that they are in fact adults. For more than a decade older generations continued to discuss Millennials as if they were still the youth of the day trying to figure out this thing called life. But the group of adults have children that range from infants to young adults along with mortgages and excessive student loans to prove their adulthood status.

Except lately, as Millennials reflect on raising children, they're now wondering who the heck left them in charge. Maybe the boomers and Gen X were right and Millennials really are just perpetual adolescents after all. Recently, Peter Le uploaded a video of how he soothes his crying baby with a not so classic lullaby. Maybe you've heard of it? If you guessed anything other than T-Pain's early 2000s mega hit "I'm 'n Luv (wit a Stripper)" then you'd be wrong.

As soon as the dad started belting out the lyrics (amazingly), the fussy baby immediately started to settle as if he just sang her a perfectly normal lullaby. The video had Millennials questioning who let them be parents because they don't see themselves as adults when it comes to their child-rearing choices. This doesn't mean that this forever young generation are bad parents—it simply means that they do things a little differently while not taking themselves too seriously.

waving, parents, millennials, millennial parents, parentsHc2020Clients-Brendon-Teams GIF by FlyWheel PartnersGiphy

Millennials range from ages 29 to 44, with many of them having come of age during peak club culture. With that in mind, so many of the bangers of the 2000s are locked in as core memories and make up the soundtrack of their lives. Sisqó's "Thong Song" along with Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz's "Get Low" were all in regular rotation at high school dances or at the club in college. Just like their parents before them, reminiscing on the music of yesteryear is part of the gig, except Millennials were probably being soothed to sleep by Prince's "Raspberry Beret," not "My Neck, My Back" by Khia.

But that difference is the reason some Millennials are questioning why a hospital allowed them to walk out with a tiny human. Le's video has nearly 3 million views with thousands of commenters weighing in on his choice of soothing music for his daughter.

@.peter.le 60% of the time, it works every time #baby #babytok #babytoks #babygirl #babyboy #infant #dad #daddy #dadtok #dadsoftiktok #tpain #millenial #millenialhumor ♬ original sound - peter

"Years from now she’s going to hear this song and not understand why she’s so suddenly relaxed," one person jokes.

"Millennial parents are the most unserious people 🤣🤣 it’s me too," another says.

Someone else laughs, "I’m still shocked someone trusted us with kids when millennials are in fact stunted children with PTSD and incurable nostalgia 😅."

parents, parenting, kids, millennials, generations, babiesfathers day dad GIFGiphy

"This soothed me and was low key nostalgic! Somebody pick me up and let’s go to the club 😂," another person chimes in.

There's nothing like the possibility of your kid reminiscing about their childhood with their own children, telling them all about how their grandfather used to sing about being in love with a stripper. One has to wonder if their children will think nothing of it due to their own unique lullabies or if they'll be questioning if grandpa needed adult supervision. Either way, other Millennial parents agree with his methods.

babies, parents, parenting, millennials, millennial parentsGIF by SupercompressorGiphy

"One day she will be in the club wondering why her favorite lullaby is playing…😭," one says.

Someone else writes, "😭😭 aye! Millennials are really the funniest bunch of parents. Love us! 🫶🏾😂," while an expectant mom takes notes saying, "Having my first next month and I DO NOT KNOW A SINGLE LULABBY[sic] 😭 Kendrick Lamar is going to be working overtime in my house 😂😂😂."

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Modern Families

People are loving this 29-year-old's hot take on why millennials aren't having kids

A bit of catharsis for al the childless cat people out there.

Photo credit: Canva

Many millennials can't afford a house, let alone starting a family.

Despite a short-lived pandemic baby boom, birth rates are at an all time low in the US. There are, of course, myriad factors contributing to this complex issue, but when those factors are flattened down into bite-sized conservative talking points, it is the generational selfishness and disrespect to traditional American values of millennials that’s really to blame.

However, one heated millennial is countering that for many folks in their age group, having kids is simply not financially possible.

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlie Fitzgerald (she/they/he) didn’t hold back as they declared "it absolutely baffles me that the government is pretending like they don't know why we're not having kids because, frankly, it is glaringly obvious.”

In the now-viral clip, Fitzgerald noted how heavily inflation has affected basic necessities for families like groceries, baby formula, diapers, childcare. Giving birth in the United States, they noted “averages at around $14000.” According to the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health System Tracker, that average is more like just a few bucks shy of $19,000.

As Fitzgerald pointed out, for the 73% of millennials already living paycheck to paycheck from mostly entry level work, likely also paying off college debt which in no way, shape or form guaranteed them gainful employment…this is pretty much impossible.

And since poverty traps do exist, those who are born into struggling families often have a much harder time getting access to education and other resources that can actually help them escape poverty. Or, as Fitzgerald put it, “when you're born poor in this country, you're probably gonna die poor, and your kids are gonna be in the same boat. I don't want that for my kid."

Viewer, be warned. There are a few f-bombs dropped here and there.


@jimmyego Why aren't millennials having kids? #millennial #4B ♬ original sound - Definitely Not Charlie


Fitzgerald also went into the lack of maternity leave offered for new parents, saying that many jobs don’t offer adequate leave time, or parents can’t afford to take the time off. "Then you've got to pay for childcare, which is outrageous. In the state that I live in, the average cost of just daycare is $15.77 an hour," they said. "When you are making as little money as millennials are, childcare is literally inaccessible."

And sadly, not being able to afford to take care of a kid gets labeled as “neglect”, resulting in severe consequences, including families getting separated. "Say baby formula wasn't available in your area, so you couldn't afford to feed your kids, so you get slapped with neglect charges. That company that couldn't provide the baby formula faces absolutely no repercussions."

One of Fitzgerald’s final points is a fairly basic one: the housing crisis. "How many millennials do you know who own their own house?" they asked, saying that most folks of their age group "are renters or live with our parents or live with a pile of roommates." And with no real certainty that things will change, their stance is "I don't wanna bring a child into a situation where I'm not sure I'm gonna have somewhere to live in a year." Fair, fair.

In conclusion, Fitzgerald said, "It's not that we don't wanna have kids. A lot of us do. In fact, I would love to have a kid with my wife, but I'm not gonna have a kid in this country right now. I'm not."

And they are certainly not alone in that sentiment. Tons of comments came rolling in from people who shared similar thoughts and experiences. Below is just a small snippet.

“People ask me whether I want kids and I’m like ‘that’s irrelevant because I can’t afford to make that choice. It’s been made for me.’”

“I had a coworker come back to work 3 days after she gave birth. She couldn’t afford the time off.”

“The only millennial I know with a house AND kids? They have a supporting family and generational wealth. Most of us don’t get that.”

“My parents always screamed ‘if you can’t feed em, don’t breed em’ my entire childhood. Ok, bet.”

“When people say ‘money doesn’t solve your problems’ I’m gonna show them this video.”

Of course, there are plenty of folks who have chosen to go childfree because they are happier that way. But, as Fitzgerald and many other millennials can attest, many simply don’t have the choice to anymore.

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Nokia is bringing back the flip phone. Mom warns teens to be mindful to avoid a taste of 2002.

"If I were a teenager in this day and age, I'd be terrified."

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Mom warns teens about Nokia bringing back flip phones

Are you over the age of 35? Do you remember your first cell phone? Those things were life changing for Millennials who were just getting their first real taste of the freedom that comes with remaining reachable. Many of us memorized the feel of the buttons so we could sneak and text our friends under the desk during a boring lecture in class.

Kids today will never know the skill it took to not only memorize where the keys were but to press the five button three times to get to the right letter. T9 texting should've been an Olympic sport. But texting and making calls was about all those phones were good for because the internet was still using dialup so the world was not at your fingertips–just your bestie.

Gen Z has never had to experience technological advancement purgatory when it comes to electronic devices, but all that is about to change. Well, for some, if parents take the advice of Lydia Kyle.

Recently the mom shared that Nokia is coming back out with their old flip phone, which could be a great tool for parents of teens according to her.

"They're missing a huge, huge marketing area when it comes to parents of teenagers. If I was a teenager I would be shaking in my boots because the second you slip up on Snapchat, no more smartphone for you. Dumb choices. Dumb phone," Kyle tells the phone maker while encouraging parents to use the phone to solve some of today's problems caused by social media.

The new Nokia phone is currently being marketed to Millennials looking to detox from social media according to Kyle, but parents in the comments like this mom's suggestions.



One parent points out the lack of security features as a positive for parents, "This makes absolute sense!!! Don’t have to worry about your kid cracking the passcode to their smartphone limits, this is a very good idea!!"

Some parents are already on trend, "You are spot on! We got one for my son going into middle school. No apps nothing. He can call and text. The only draw back is that it doesn’t have find my. So we had to get Apple air tags. Otherwise it’s the perfect starter phone!!"

"My sister has several teens, and none of them have smart phones. They have to use like old school flip phones. Which I think is great. It allows them to communicate but not have to deal with the additional issues of smart phones and social media," another shares.

The overall consensus is positive, "literally best idea for middle schoolers that have after school activities and you really need them to have a phone in case the activity bus decides not to run that day and they have to text you to come get them (been there many times) but you don’t want them having access to a smart phone!"

This video may be made in jest but parents seem to be finding this as a viable solution to the over exposure of screens, online bullying, and exposure to social media too early. So maybe Nokia does need to branch out in their marketing a bit, old school tech is also really big for younger generations so some kids may not even fight parents on it.

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Family

Millennials love this grandma's take on disagreeing with her daughter's parenting decisions

Viewers are calling her a "breath of fresh air."

Photo credit: Canva

You don't have to agree to show support.

It’s great when families have involved grandparents to help create those oh-so necessary villages for raising kids. However, when disagreements as to how to raise kids—and the power struggles that follow—arise, it can make for a less-than-peaceful village.

Let’s face it, it’s hard for everyone involved. Parenting has evolved, and things that worked “back in the day” don’t necessarily work now. So many Gen X and millennial parents are painfully aware of things that didn’t serve them as kids, and don’t want to repeat that pattern for their own children. Plus, it’s really hard to instill some kind of structure when that structure is constantly being undermined.

But at the same time, it can be difficult for grandparents to just sit idly by while their adult children make decisions that could come back to haunt them later. After all, the parental instinct to protect doesn’t necessarily expire.

Still, one grandma has some pretty sagely advice for all the well-intentioned grandparents out there.

Maria, better known as “Mom-Mom Maria,” who regularly posts about her life as a grandma, recently shared her strategy for handling parental disagreements with her own adult daughter.

“If I don’t agree with every little decision that my daughter makes for the baby, I usually don’t say anything,” she said. Still she admitted that “sometimes I can’t help myself.”

For this Mom-mom (the common term for “grandma” in New Jersey), the one thing she couldn’t stay silent about was the sippy cup and straw her granddaughter Prue was given to drink milk before bed.

Maria was asked to put Prues’ milk in said supply cup while she and her husband were babysitting for the night. Though she at first resisted because she felt Prue was much too young to drink out of anything but a bottle, she recognized “it’s not my decision. I’m not the decision maker.”

“I’m not the mom: I’m the Mom-Mom, the privileged Mom-Mom that gets to babysit her,” she said.


@mommom.maria #mommom #genxtiktoker #babytok #toddlertok #millennialmom #babybottle #drbrowns #sippycup #grandparentsoftiktok #babysitting ♬ original sound - MomMom Maria


So, Maria did as her daughter instructed, and lo and behold…no problems. Prue drank her milk just fine.

“So I guess my daughter was right and that’s really what I wanted to say to the other grandmothers,” Maria concluded. “You don’t have to agree but you have to do it.”

Down in the comments, so many parents found Maria’s stance to be a “breath of fresh air.”

“Say it louder for the generations that think we don’t know what we’re doing as ‘young’ parents,” one person wrote.

Another quipped, ““I was getting ready to tussle but glad I’m on the grandma’s respecting their kid’s decisions side.”

Even fellow grandparents commended Maria’s take. One wrote, “thank you! Wish more grandparents understood this. I thought the perk of being a grandparent is that you don’t have to make any parenting decisions. You just get to enjoy the grandchildren.”

“That’s right,” echoed another. “Their kids, their rules. I’ve raised my kids, their turn. And yes, blessed to be grandma!”

And perhaps this was the best comment of all: “And the only thing your kid and grandkid will feel is love, support, and respect…and it’s that easy. And we all wish we had someone like you in our lives.”

So true. It might feel uncomfortable to let go of control, but the payoff is a stronger, healthier, more empowered family unit. In the end, it might be a pretty small sacrifice.

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