Yahoo Lifestyle Parents Are Sharing The Wholesome Things Kids Do Now That Are Better Than What Past Generations Did, And I'm Kinda Crying
The world continues to change, and with it, so do societal and cultural norms. Recently, Redditor u/db1000c asked the parents of the Reddit community to share the things kids do or think today that are a lot more wholesome than how kids acted in the past — and the responses are incredibly heartwarming:
1."Honestly, seeing kids these days be so into mental health and self-care is kinda refreshing. Like, they're out here meditating and journaling about their feelings. I love the growth."
2."As cheesy as it is, kids are accepting and confident. When I was younger and moved countries, I was so embarrassed about my accent. My daughter and all her friends have completely different accents, cultures, home lives, etc., and everyone is so much nicer. All the kids now seem to be excited to try different things."
3."Not using 'gay' as an insult. And being less anti-LGBTQ+ in general."
4."Aren't modern teen pregnancy rates lower than they've ever been? I'd class that as a plus."
5."I personally find it really annoying, but kids love to hang out at the gym now. It's nice to see them doing this as opposed to what I was up to at that age (smoking and drinking), but they hog the machines. So, even though it's annoying, I still support it."
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6."Boys are allowed to cry now."
7."During COVID times, my 15-year-old son and his friends snuck out at 4 a.m. and met up to...walk to the town war memorial and watch the sunrise (it's on the top of a hill looking out to sea and over a castle). They got picked up by the police walking home afterward because they were breaking lockdown laws, but I couldn't be angry."
8."They're more in-tune with their feelings and aren't afraid to publicly show affection."
9."My kid is autistic and has ADHD, and she is just SO accepted by her peers. They have so much empathy and kindness. Quite often, I find myself wanting to quash her behavior because I'm worried she's going to get bullied. She has an intense interest in chickens, for example, that would have been so badly looked down upon in the '90s. Her friends just lean into it, though, and buy, make, and draw her chicken stuff. It's lovely."
10."I see more children being accepting of those who are different."
11."The vast amount of water that they drink."
12."My kids' friends are really cool and engaging to have conversations with. They seem happy and articulate talking to adults."
13."They have actual hobbies — and there's a variety of them, too. I know kids who do DnD, knitting, rock climbing, martial arts, sewing, baking, and more. They talk openly about their interests with no shame, and they all seem genuinely interested in each other's hobbies, too. Every year, we go camping with a group of friends, and their kids range from 6–18. It's wonderful listening to them all talk around the campfire."
14."My best friend's 11-year-old son and his male friends like to go for a weekly Starbucks catch-up on Fridays after school to discuss the week and see how each other is doing."
15."My 9-year-old daughter sticks up for her friends in ways that no one ever did for me at that age. I am so thankful that's who she is, whether my parenting had a hand in that or not."
16."Not sure if this qualifies, but it sure gives me hope! My 9-year-old has had an Xbox friend named Danny for over a year. They laugh and play Minecraft with no arguments. He hasn't met Danny personally, and he doesn't speak English, either. They've just created ways to communicate through items, gifts, and designs in the game. They're never cross with each other, and whenever I hear them belly laughing together, it melts my heart. My son now wants to learn Danish, as it appears that's what Danny's native tongue is."
17."Spend time with their dads. This generation seems to spend more time with their fathers than any other, probably thanks to changing attitudes toward gender roles and things like flexible working. I also think it's wholesome how parents have changed. There's a greater emphasis on nurturing mental health and actually listening to and respecting their children."
18."I was on the bus near some kids discussing something among themselves the other day (I'm assuming they were talking about smoking or vaping). Three girls, about 14 or 15, were saying to a fourth girl things like, 'I don't do it all the time, but I've at least tried it' and 'Oh my god, you're always so worried about getting in trouble. Your mom won't even know.' Then, one of the girls paused for a second and went, 'Hey, guys, I think we might be doing peer pressure. We should stop and think about this.' The three girls apologized to the fourth girl and moved on to talking about something else. I thought it was so healthy to see them recognize that their friend might not be ready for the same experiences and pulled back from the conversation as a result."
19.Lastly: "Kids nowadays are so supportive of each other, especially the boys and young men. I work with a couple of men in their late teens and early 20s, and they hype each other up, talk about problems, and compliment each other. It's great."
There's a lot of scary and uncertain stuff going on in the world right now, so these stories gave me some hope. If you're a parent, what are some of the things you've noticed kids do better now than in the past? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
