Raising kids is tough no matter what generation you fall into, but it’s hard to deny that there was something much simpler about the childrearing days of yesteryear, before the internet offered a million and one ways that parents could be—and probably are—doing it all very, very wrong.
What's especially fascinating is that our data and best-practices have gotten so much better over time. Parents in the 80s had no idea that crib bumpers were dangerous, just like their parents didn't know that using whiskey as a sleep aid probably wasn't the best idea! We know better, and yet, we're burdened by the overwhelming amount of knowledge and potential dangers around us.
Taylor Wolfe, a millennial mom, nails this conundrum perfectly this as she asks her own mother a series of rapid-fire questions about raising her during the 80s and the stark contrast in attitudes becomes blatantly apparent.
Parenting in 2025 is a lot different than in the 1980s.
Photo by Alexander Dummer on Unsplash
In a clip posted on TikTok, Wolfe and her mom sit side by side on the couch and have a fascinating discussion.
First off, Wolfe can’t comprehend how her mom survived without being able to Google everything. (Not even a parent, but I feel this.)
“What did we have to Google?” her mom asks while shaking her head incredulously.
“Everything! For starters, poop!” Wolfe says. “Cause you have to know if the color is an okay color, if it's healthy!”
“I was a nursing mom, so if the poop came out green, it was because I ate broccoli,” her mom responds.
…Okay, fair point. But what about handy gadgets like baby monitors? How did Wolfe’s mom keep her kid alive without one?
“I was the monitor, going in and feeling you,” she says. Wolfe asked her mom how she slept without a baby monitor and knowing for certain, at every instant, that she was safe? "We just slept" her mom deadpanned.
@thedailytay My anxiety would have hated the 80s. Or maybe loved it? IDK! #fyp #millennialsontiktok #parenttok #momsoftiktok #comedyvid
Could it really be that easy? It was for Wolfe’s mom, apparently. Rather than relying on technology, she simply felt her child and adjusted accordingly.
“If you were hot, you slept in a diaper. If you were cold, you had a blanket around you.” Done and done.
Wolfe then got into more existential questions, asking her mom if she ever felt the stress of “only having 18 summers” with her child, and how to make the most of it.
Without missing a beat, Wolfe's mother says, “It's summer, I still have you.”
Cue the tears!
Going by Wolfe’s mom, the 80s seems like a time with much less pressure on parents.
@thedailytay She had some big feelings. #parentsoftiktok #gentleparenting #satire #fyp #foryoupage #momlife #parents #millennialsoftiktok
From feeding her kids McDonald’s fries guilt-free to being spared the judgment of internet trolls, she just sort of did the thing without worrying so much if she was doing it correctly.
That’s nearly impossible in today’s world, as many viewers commented.
“Google just gives us too much information and it scares us,” one person quipped.
Another seconded, “I swear social media has made me wayyyy more of an anxious mom."
"it's almost like all the technology, and it's advertising, leads to so much unnecessary anxiety" someone added.
Even a professional noted: “As someone who has worked in pediatrics since the 80s, the parents are way more anxious now.”
It's no wonder that parents' mental health is, collectively, in the toilet. We're more stressed today about money, work-life balance, getting into good schools, signing up for activities that gobble up all our time... everything.
Experts say there are ways parents can manage the stresses of modern life, though. Reducing phone and social media use, for starters, is a good way to avoid ruminating on all the potential dangers of the world. Parents are also challenged to push themselves out of their comfort zone by allowing their child more freedom and independence than they'd normally be comfortable with. For example, letting your kids walk to school or go buy something from a store without your help.
I don’t think anyone truly wants to go back in time, per se. But many of us are yearning to bring more of this bygone mindset into the modern day. And the big takeaway here: No matter how many improvements we make to life, if the cost is our mental state, then perhaps it’s time to swing the pendulum back a bit.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
- Millenials share their boomer parents’ 15 quirky (and frustrating) habits they just don't get ›
- Millennial's funny attempts to teach her boomer mom gentle parenting has people rolling ›
- Millennial mom gets real about 'absent boomers' who won't make time for their grandkids ›
- Mom calls out unfair 'double standard' of boomer grandparents who don't help with childcare ›
A teacher folding her hands.via 
“What makes us Jonesers also makes us uniquely positioned to bring about a new era in international affairs."
It's nice to finally belong. 
Ten points to Gen Jones.
90S Hair GIF
Toliet GIF by Adult Swim
Good Burger Dancing GIF by Bounce
elmers glue school GIF by Elmer's Products