Mean Mummies?

In the Age last weekend they we discussing the difference between Gen Y and Gen Z with one of the main differences being parenting style and, more specifically, mother guilt resulting in less permissive parenting.

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There are similarities between Y and Z, such as smaller family sizes and more attention from parents (making them comfortable with authority). "It's tempting to say gen Z will be just like gen Y, only more so," he muses. "But I don't think so. There's a fork in the road. The parents of gen Y, the baby boomers, were guilty about Mum working, and therefore very indulgent. The parents of gen Z - gen X - have let go of the angst. It's tougher love - Mean Mummy instead of Yummy Mummy. They have a more realistic view of the world."

Anyway, Salt says, gen-X parents had to pay off university debts and then faced exorbitant property prices, so there's not as much disposable income sloshing around. Gen Z may also experience a recession, after 18 years of economic prosperity, and perhaps see a parent lose their job.

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I have been thinking about this a lot during the week and I am just looking for opinions on this and do you think that it reflects your parenting style at all (or if Gen Y - how you were parented) ?

TBH honest Nahhhhhhhh!

I think I'm in the middle between "Yummy" & "Mean" And as for my parenting my parents weren't fit to be parents most of the time so I can't really compare as I know they weren't in the norm. But I'm loving how the media is putting so much into the "generations". Its funny because out of my generation Y friends we are all different, same for my parents friends when I was a child. And as a child raised from generation x parents they were far from indulgent, if anything they were way more reserved than most and I know a few parents from that generation like that.

What I love about our generation is that we question more with regards to our parenting, I very rarely see a parent of generation Y who thinks they are the perfect parent or who aren't interested in parenting improvement. Whereas with the adults I've spoken to from my parents generation discussing parenting styles wasn't really that common, it was more important to "save face" than to discuss how to improve iykwim? My MIL loves all the stuff we are able to discuss with regards to parenting styles, and I'm lucky that because she didn't raise me we can discuss it easily without her thinking I'm having a go at her for how I was raised (I see this as a big problem between mother/daughters of X/Y gen). But I also don't "blame" the parents of gen x because they were coming out from the other side of the "Seen and not heard" generation, and whilst they might not have had *everything* right they did the best with what they had and just like them I'm sure our kids will have their own list of things they want to change or "better" from our parenting styles. I just hope that when the time comes I can be adaptive and understanding and not resentful or hurt because my child isn't doing things exactly the same as I did.

So I guess what I'm saying is I think the informational age (as I see it now) is more responsible for how different parenting styles are than whether or not there is disposable income or more jobs. I'm sure there is a small percentage of influence but I'd say its more to do with gen Y's addiction to information and the availability thanks to the internet that has changed us.

Talk about tangent... sorry :redface:

I'm a yummy mummy - I am drop dead gorgeous and my DS thinks so too, or at least his T-shirts do. I'm also a strict mummy. I'm not mean, I'm very loving, and that's why I'm strict.

Yes, I did have a "not-bothered"/permissive mother, but she didn't work aside from the odd part-time job when I was in school anyway and she always quit for the summer holidays! But she was genuinely not bothered rather than trying to buy love.

I'm not raising DS according to books or the internet, although I enjoy the like-minded people I find here. I'm raising him how I, as an adult, look back and wish I had been raised. That means I listen to DS, I don't hurt him, I do respect him. It means he respects me and listens to me and obeys the rules I lay down. And I'm damn sure going to give him rules and curfews! Even as a teenager I wished I'd had those and asked for them, although that was treated as weird.

So I can't contribute to this really as I've always been weird... maybe I'm the exception that proves the rule that everyone else is conforming to the gen z parenting norms LOL.

Ok, now I'm completely confused...

Generation X is those born from 1965 to 1982 (ie me)

Generation Y is those born from 1982 and following (ie, my sister).

When is Generation Z????

Does that mean that I will give birth to a generation Z child?

Does that mean I'm yummean?

OOOh, so I'm gen x then? I thought I was a nice young y! Ah-ha, I'm old and hot! Look at me!

Gen Z are the current little ones, so yes, your baby will be a Gen Zer.

What happens next? Will my grandchildren be Gen AA? Or Hen A? And if they are Hen A, when when when will they lay me an egg for my tea?

I think Gen Z starts around 1999 so any kids born from then on.