What happens when Gen X realises she’s starting to look like her mum — and that her kids are now the age she was when she thought her parents were ancient? A very MMOL conversation, that’s what.
In this subscriber-only episode, Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens unpack how parenting has shifted across generations — from Boomer hands-off freedom, to Gen X helicoptering, to Millennial optimisation, expertise and AI-assisted anxiety spirals.
They talk latchkey childhoods, being raised by parents who were very much the main characters, and why modern parenting feels like a never-ending performance review. There’s guilt, control, tracking apps, bedtime boundaries, feminist car lectures, and the uncomfortable truth that our kids don’t magically become independent just because they turn 18.
Outlouders, we want to hear from you: did you parent the way you were parented — or swing wildly in the opposite direction? Let us know in Mamamia Outlouders.
What To Listen To Next:
- Listen to our latest episode: The Most Bizarre Celebrity Profile We’ve Ever Read
- Listen: Do I Matter? & The Bathroom Taboo
- Listen: The Female Emaciation Era — Holly & Jessie Weigh In
- Listen: An Urgent Theory About Kim Kardashian & Lewis Hamilton
- Listen: Scurrilous Gossip - Karl Stefanovic, Melania Trump & Sydney Sweeney, Oh My
- Listen: Fertility Vampires & The Murkiness Of 'Affair Baiting'
- Listen: It's Time To Burp Your House & The 3, 5, 7 Underwear Rule
- Listen: The New 'Wronged Wife' Divorce Playbook
- Listen: A Royal Summer Update Of Very Big Feelings
- Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.
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Watch Mamamia Out Loud:
What to read:
- 'I'm a millennial mum. These are the differences I've noticed between Gen X and millennial parents.'
- A teacher has compared the parenting of baby boomers, Gen X and millennials and... woah.
- Gen X and Millennials just discovered 'dishonest harmony'. They blame the Boomers.
- The forgotten middle children of Generation X have something to say.
THE END BITS:
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