Quote:SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom — Has the quintessential handyman become a thing of the past? Homeowners used to take pride in repairing and maintaining their homes all by themselves, but a recent survey of 2,000 young British adults finds that many still need assistance with the simplest of tasks — like changing a light bulb!

Unbelievably, some respondents even admitted to simply leaving a dead light bulb in place for more than three weeks before finally mustering up the courage to ask for some help. Other simple fixes that respondents said they can’t accomplish alone included putting up wallpaper, draining a radiator, painting, tightening up a loose cabinet door, and fixing a loose screw.

Less than 25% of survey participants would call themselves “good” at DIY skills, and 13% (about 1 in 8) flat out said their skills are “poor.”

The research, which was commissioned by Plusnet, also noted that a full third of millennials seek out help on the easiest of household chores mostly because they’re sure they’ll mess things up if they attempt it themselves. Another 25% don’t even try such tasks alone because they know someone else would be far better suited for the job, 10% don’t have the patience for home improvement, and 14% just don’t have the time apparently.

So, who do most young adults look to for help? You guessed it, dear old dad (40%). Meanwhile, 16% usually ask their mother or brother for help first.

Besides actual people, though, there’s “someone” else that the vast majority (87%) of millennials flock to in the event of house trouble: Google.

Meanwhile, 41% usually just call up a professional repairman.

If one thing is clear from this survey it’s this: modern young adults just don’t feel the need to learn these skills. A full 25% would much rather just pay someone to perform a maintenance job than get their hands dirty themselves. As such, the average millennial spends $409.76 annually on home repairs.

On that note, respondents were asked what plays into their decision when choosing a tradesman; 15% go for the best price, but 25% seek out the best online reviews. Another third won’t hire a handyman if their website looks cheap and 40% will avoid a repair business if their website is non-functional.

Many (30%) even turn to social media for repair help, with most looking over Facebook before other platforms.

Electricians are the most commonly called repair services used (42%), followed by plumbers (37%). Also, 17% regularly call an interior decorator, and 11% call a blinds fitter frequently.

Link

Maybe the bulb's feelings will get hurt if it has to be changed.

I'd really like to see a study on Comparing Millennial's from Europe and America. Then further break it down by which side of the political spectrum you fall under. Eventually find out who is more of a wuss.

I bet they complain about the cost of having someone come out and do it for them as well.

Changed all of ours to LED bulbs and can retro fits when we moved into the house. I don't think we have changed a light bulb in 4 years

My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Alot of evil has come from the internet, but the expansion of DIY knowledge to the masses has been a Godsend. There are few small home or auto DIY projects that somebody has not detailed filmed and put up on youtube. The other day I was trying to figure out how to move the crotch strap on one of my kids car seats. After 30 minutes of cussing I looked it up on youtube and found a very funny video of a father who clearly just went through what I went through until he found the 3 second trick to doing it.

A cousin of mine, with an MBA from Purdue and a JD from Loyola, had no idea what a furnace filter was.
His AC airflow was bad at his his 2nd house when I was over there. I asked him where his AC/Furnace was he had no idea and I found it in the garage. That filter was in there for about 2 years.

I do understand the problem. Think about what changing a light bulb means to a Millennial.

1. Mommy and Daddy are supposed to handle this.

2. They fear unequal power arrangements so electricity frightens them.

3. Light bulbs are unisex and have no orifices so it is hard for Millennials to find where to place the diaper if the bulb that needs changing hasn't left a stain or a smell.

(03-03-2020 05:35 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  A cousin of mine, with an MBA from Purdue and a JD from Loyola, had no idea what a furnace filter was.
His AC airflow was bad at his his 2nd house when I was over there. I asked him where his AC/Furnace was he had no idea and I found it in the garage. That filter was in there for about 2 years.

Reminds me of my neighbor. Now my neighbor was a math teacher at the local high school. Assistant football coach and is now assistant principal.

Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend my neighbor comes over to my house and says Jim can you come look at my furnace. I told him sure. I walked in his house and I could see my breath. His wife and two small children were under blankets trying to stay warm

My neighbor said that he had gas logs put into his fireplace in the living room the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and they had turned the heat off and he couldn’t get it to come on. I figured the pilot light was out.

I walked in his utility room and noticed a plug in the front where you would normally see the pilot light. Reached to the side of the unit and flipped the switch and the furnace fired right up.

The next thing I heard was, “I told you to get Jim on Friday.” My neighbor joked said can you hang out a minute...lol .
I laughed and she was yelling at him as the door closed.

Smart guy but no common sense

(03-03-2020 05:35 PM)bobdizole Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Alot of evil has come from the internet, but the expansion of DIY knowledge to the masses has been a Godsend. There are few small home or auto DIY projects that somebody has not detailed filmed and put up on youtube. The other day I was trying to figure out how to move the crotch strap on one of my kids car seats. After 30 minutes of cussing I looked it up on youtube and found a very funny video of a father who clearly just went through what I went through until he found the 3 second trick to doing it.

Yep, primary reason I use YouTube is to fix stuff around the house.

First time I saw the term DIY my response was wtf?

I thought that was called being a normal human with common sense and a modicum of initiative.

What a country of puzzles we have become. Yeah I know the article was about the United cuckdom. No surprise.

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

Which is weird considering those very same Xers were more than likely latchkey kids themselves.

It's not just a millennial thing. Plenty of my Gen X neighbors keep me stocked in booze for fixing simple stuff they are absolutely clueless about, and I don't think that there's many small engine powered tools in my garage that I actually bought. Most of the were sitting by the curb the day before trash day and just needed a minor fix.

(03-03-2020 06:29 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

Which is weird considering those very same Xers were more than likely latchkey kids themselves.

Due to the economy back then I'd say they were daycare kids, or had a sitter at home until parents returned. The children of poorer single parent homes likely were latchkey kids.

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

Early on it was almost exclusively boomer parents (If you were born in 1964 and had a kid in 1981 you made a huge mistake) and by the time you reach the end in 1996 it'd be mostly X but with some boomers that had kids in their mid to late 30s. Boomers were involved from the get go. And yes, you saw helicopter parents among boomers. Not as bad as Gen X but it was definitely there.

We've reached a point where "young adult" doesn't really even necessarily mean millennial anymore. The older ones are pushing 40 and the younger ones have been in the work force for a few years now.

(03-03-2020 06:32 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  It's not just a millennial thing. Plenty of my Gen X neighbors keep me stocked in booze for fixing simple stuff they are absolutely clueless about, and I don't think that there's many small engine powered tools in my garage that I actually bought. Most of the were sitting by the curb the day before trash day and just needed a minor fix.

lol, I have a great neighbor that has come over to fix my AC multiple times. He does it for a living and, in my case, only accepts payment in beer. BTW, I can fix lots of things but I don't mess around with electricity. Yes, I know I can cut the power but I don't have easy access to capacitors/compressors/circuit boards, etc. either.

(03-03-2020 06:34 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

Early on it was almost exclusively boomer parents (If you were born in 1964 and had a kid in 1981 you made a huge mistake) and by the time you reach the end in 1996 it'd be mostly X but with some boomers that had kids in their mid to late 30s. Boomers were involved from the get go. And yes, you saw helicopter parents among boomers. Not as bad as Gen X but it was definitely there.

We've reached a point where "young adult" doesn't really even necessarily mean millennial anymore. The older ones are pushing 40 and the younger ones have been in the work force for a few years now.

Generation Y are also echo boomers, they were distinguished from Millennials because they had Boomer parents.

The Helicopter phenomenon was directly related to suburbs. In the Boomer's life span most families lived in neighborhoods where the homes didn't look like carbon copies of one another with just the trim painted differently. With Suburbs keeping up with the Joneses took on a whole new dynamic. Everyone drove similar cars, had similar homes, and the children were pressured to perform at school and in their hobbies because it related to the status of the parents. Naturally that bled over to high school and unfortunately College where I've known many professors who had problems with helicopter parents, and my wife had them come to her lab to push 20 year old children's performance ratings. Totally an eye-rolling absurd experience. We always felt sorry for the kids. How were they ever going to individuate and get comfortable in their own skins with that kind of mania happening.

We had parents that if we didn't have a good grade the teacher was never question but our bottoms got torn up. If we got paddled at school we got it when we got home too. And all of the guys in my high school class (save 2) knew we had to pay for our own college and buy our own cars when we turned 16, providing insurance and gas. But then almost all of us had worked since we were 10. It started mowing yards, harvesting crops, and graduated to mill work in the Summer. By today's standards our parents would have been found to be abusive, only they were great!

My dad and his 1st cousin built their first car out of Studebaker parts they bought at a variety of local junkyards. They alternated weekends with the car to date. But in fairness before computerized ignition systems and engine diagnostics it was absolutely easier to work on your own vehicle. I grew up changing my own oil, setting my timing, replacing my own points and plugs, and greasing the fittings (now contained inside boots). Heck we even changed our own brake shoes and linings. Forget about most of that now!

I don't know what changed to put so much fear into parents and through them their kids but it was a rotten day for life n this country when it happened. I'll tell you this though a lot of it started when we quit having state run mental institutions and real crazies were loose on the street, and then came the drugs, and then came the illegals. It's definitely a different world and although I enjoy poking fun at millennials you really did inherit a much bigger mess than we did.

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

I'm a boomer and I have Zs. They are the ones, who when they want to do things, look it up on the internet. My son was convinced he could change oil without making a mess because he saw it on the internet.

(03-03-2020 06:48 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:34 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 06:14 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 05:32 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  My Son is a Millennial. He turns 30 in July. I have to give him credit. If he doesn’t know how to fix something around his place he watches a video on YouTube. If that doesn’t help, he calls me.

A few years ago I was standing in front of my 1996 Jeep Country trying to figure out how to change a water pump. My son who was a teenager at the time said Dad have you checked YouTube. Sure enough some Bubba from Virginia had changed one on his same model Jeep and filmed the whole thing. I had the water pump off and back on in under 3 hours. I still use YouTube.

Can confirm. I'm a millennial and not a gearhead (neither was my dad before any of you have any wise remarks), but I've used Youtube and a scrap yard to do my own car repairs quite a few times. I learned how to swap out a broken power window mechanism on a 1994 Camry that way. As nice as reading a Haynes manual is it's hard to beat watching someone do it and break down step by step what to do and why to do it. The information's out there for anyone that wants it. You can sneer at looking things up online but it works and even people in more technical fields such as IT do it. Still, I'm not afraid of a power drill or a wrench. People that are just mean more money for people that aren't, so I guess I can't complain.

And well, there is a bit of a mindset that was beat into our heads by older generations that they still continue to love to hammer us on, that we can't do anything right. You see it a lot here. As a result, well, a lot of us don't bother because we're just stupid millennials that mess up everything we ever do, so we might as well just stick to whatever it is we actually are serviceable at. Some can push through that and learn to be a little more self-sufficient, others just pay someone that's actually competent. But, I mean, you can't help but look at this and realize what a failure the boomer generation was as parents if this is the fruit of their labor.

Millennials weren't our kids. Boomer's (older ones) had X'ers and younger ones had generation Y. The Boom lasted from '45 to '62 until some tried to revise the dates. Millennials were born from what 1982 on or something like that since they would graduate high school in the new millennium? I think X'ers were the demographic who gave birth to most millennials. Some late Boomers were involved but then those tail end Boomers were probably comprised of last children in their families and that means they probably had more done for them as well. Helicopter parents is an X'er thing.

Early on it was almost exclusively boomer parents (If you were born in 1964 and had a kid in 1981 you made a huge mistake) and by the time you reach the end in 1996 it'd be mostly X but with some boomers that had kids in their mid to late 30s. Boomers were involved from the get go. And yes, you saw helicopter parents among boomers. Not as bad as Gen X but it was definitely there.

We've reached a point where "young adult" doesn't really even necessarily mean millennial anymore. The older ones are pushing 40 and the younger ones have been in the work force for a few years now.

Generation Y are also echo boomers, they were distinguished from Millennials because they had Boomer parents.

The Helicopter phenomenon was directly related to suburbs. In the Boomer's life span most families lived in neighborhoods where the homes didn't look like carbon copies of one another with just the trim painted differently. With Suburbs keeping up with the Joneses took on a whole new dynamic. Everyone drove similar cars, had similar homes, and the children were pressured to perform at school and in their hobbies because it related to the status of the parents. Naturally that bled over to high school and unfortunately College where I've known many professors who had problems with helicopter parents, and my wife had them come to her lab to push 20 year old children's performance ratings. Totally an eye-rolling absurd experience. We always felt sorry for the kids. How were they ever going to individuate and get comfortable in their own skins with that kind of mania happening.

We had parents that if we didn't have a good grade the teacher was never question but our bottoms got torn up. If we got paddled at school we got it when we got home too. And all of the guys in my high school class (save 2) knew we had to pay for our own college and buy our own cars when we turned 16, providing insurance and gas. But then almost all of us had worked since we were 10. It started mowing yards, harvesting crops, and graduated to mill work in the Summer. By today's standards our parents would have been found to be abusive, only they were great!

My dad and his 1st cousin built their first car out of Studebaker parts they bought at a variety of local junkyards. They alternated weekends with the car to date. But in fairness before computerized ignition systems and engine diagnostics it was absolutely easier to work on your own vehicle. I grew up changing my own oil, setting my timing, replacing my own points and plugs, and greasing the fittings (now contained inside boots). Heck we even changed our own brake shoes and linings. Forget about most of that now!

I don't know what changed to put so much fear into parents and through them their kids but it was a rotten day for life n this country when it happened. I'll tell you this though a lot of it started when we quit having state run mental institutions and real crazies were loose on the street, and then came the drugs, and then came the illegals. It's definitely a different world and although I enjoy poking fun at millennials you really did inherit a much bigger mess than we did.

When the guy poisoned Halloween candy to kill his own kid definitely changed things. It was a while before it came out that he did it. He was in a Houston suburb, Pasadena.

Same year in Houston Elmer Wayne Henley killed his older accomplice in killing about 30 teenage boys.