Rigid parenting style has left Gen Y-ers unprepared for today’s world, struggling to define themselves

WHERE does millennial burnout come from?

Growing up as a millennial has been a whirlwind for me.

Being raised by baby boomers and being surrounded by them for most of my childhood had shaped who I was and what I believed in when I first entered adulthood.

The economic environment that baby boomers were raised in undeniably influenced their parenting approach.

Their fear of losing financial stability made them see having a child as a means to an end; that “end” being the child going into a good university and earning enough money to (hopefully) support them in retirement.

Anything unrelated to the purpose of the “end”, such as hobbies and interests, were swept away. This left little to no room for the development of individuality.

Many baby boomers implemented “tough love parenting”, whereby children’s schedules were overbooked with activities that parents believed would contribute to their future social status.

If the children refused to adhere to their rules, there was no conversation or negotiation – only punishment, scolding, or worse, beatings.

Millennials, as children, were conditioned to think that life was linear, especially for women.