Is your life your your children’s lives worse than what your parents or you had?

[Anonymous]

About the same but we make way more money. My parents made $60 K combined when I headed off to college in the 90s. We make more than twice that (barely) but it buys about the same.

[Anonymous]

Our standard is not higher in terms of material things, but probably higher in ways I prioritize. We have a walkable lifestyle; we eat better food; we take vacations that are more than camping (but not DCUM-standard trips); we talk about emotions and relationships, apologize to each other, and spend time together in ways we didn’t when I was a child.

But yeah, we have one car, rent our home, don’t have a fancy tv or big yard, and even though we are saving I am not sure their college will be fully funded.

I hope my children land abroad in a socialist country TBH. I think they will do even worse than us unless they somehow pick really lucrative careers. Healthcare is too expensive, food is too expensive, housing is too expensive, and retirement is a pipe dream for most.

[Anonymous]

I’m worse, which is insane to me. I make $335!

At my age my parents had two paid off homes and early retirement at 52 (dad) and 55 (i’m 53) My mom stayed home until I was in 7th grade - and I was the youngest of 6. They both had college educations, but got them at night.

I’d like to think my kids are in a better spot simply because I’ve been trying to save $17k a year for each so maybe they don’t graduate with six figure debt like I did.

[Anonymous]

My parents never went to college, were able to buy a SFH by the time they were 30 in a nice neighborhood. Paid for my college education. They both had stable jobs with pensions.

Took my dh and I longer to save to buy a SFH, had to move several times for career changes and job losses. Have given up on having a "forever home."

Doing about the same financially with masters degrees and higher earning jobs as my parents did with high school degrees and lower earning jobs.

[Anonymous]

From an economic perspective I am way better off than my parents. They were MC when I was a kid, although now are closer to UMC. I am 1% based on income. My kids are privileged, have no school debt, and we can help them with down payments.

From a personal perspective I think I am also better off, despite a demanding job. My mother was an alcoholic and I am not. I’ve been married longer than my parents were.

[Anonymous]

It's better in terms of money, but worse in terms of stability, due to the fact that we're immigrants and the situation is not safe right now.

[Anonymous]

Physically our lives are much better. Mentally I don’t think so.

[Anonymous]

I come from basically poverty but my parents owned their humble abode. Mine is much better and in a better area but I don’t own it. My child has a better childhood at least in terms of wealth that I had, but I am not sure he’ll live better than me when he is 30 (compared to me at 30).

Overall it’s been a laborious upward trajectory with some downs. But overall yeah it’s better than my humble beginnings.

[Anonymous]

So much better.

My parents owned a small house when I was little, but they sold it because my dad couldn’t stand working for someone else. He sold the house so that he could become self-employed and most of my child years of renting crummy apartments and having no health insurance. I developed illnesses and became partially deaf as a result of medical neglect. The cars we had needed to be started with screwdrivers, we ate pasta with no protein, things like that.

My young adulthood was rough too but things eventually turned around. I make good money now doing interesting work. We live in a beautiful SFH in a nice neighborhood and have affordable healthcare and nice cars. My kids have never gone without healthcare they needed and have more nutritious food than I had. They will graduate college without debt and I will be able to retire possibly before 60. My kids have traveled and gone on several big international trips and have sports and activities and cars paid for.

It helps that I only had 2 kids but I also made better choices elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Mine and my children’s lives are greatly improved. DH and I have a loving stable marriage and the money to provide our children with a very nice life and future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS definitely has a better life. I grew up UMC and we are UMC but DS definitely has had more opportunities because DH and I like to do more things than my parents did. My mom also had significant mental health issues and was borderline emotionally abusive, and DS is raised in a much healthier environment. There are no threats, guilt tripping, name calling, or yelling in our house.

Same to the first part of this. Our income (inflation-adjusted) in not necessarily much higher but we do more and are comfortable spending more. My parents were immigrants and just more frugal. We take a lot more vacations (flying and driving) and kids do more stuff locally too. Some of it is living in an area with more to do and more access to information that makes planning and doing stuff easier.

I feel much more uncertainty for our future and kids future though. Things just seemed more stable externally in my childhood. Now with AI, climate change, politics I don't really know what the future holds for my kids. I really want them to have a good childhood.

[Anonymous]

Totally different lives and totally different historical realities for each generation.

DH and I lived very comfortable and similar lives. Our grandparents also were well off in an UMC ways. All were college educated.

My parents and ILs were also college educated and UMC.

DH and I immigrated here and we are also UMC now. College educated. Materially we started from zero in US and could not use generational wealth and connections...BUT...we were STEM professionals and student debt-free.

We have built up wealth to pass on to the kids. Kids have materially had a better life because this country has more infrastructure. But in terms of influence, domestic staff, ease of living - the old country is better. Also, as I age, I have realized what a big sacrifice it was to come here and leave behind my culture and connections. I try and go back every year for a couple of months now.

Kids have gone to college, are on the right path, not entitled, have their feet in both cultures. No student debt, lots of support from home (different from many of their friends), more typical gen Z (indifferent to material goods), happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally different lives and totally different historical realities for each generation.

DH and I lived very comfortable and similar lives. Our grandparents also were well off in an UMC ways. All were college educated.

My parents and ILs were also college educated and UMC.

DH and I immigrated here and we are also UMC now. College educated. Materially we started from zero in US and could not use generational wealth and connections...BUT...we were STEM professionals and student debt-free.

We have built up wealth to pass on to the kids. Kids have materially had a better life because this country has more infrastructure. But in terms of influence, domestic staff, ease of living - the old country is better. Also, as I age, I have realized what a big sacrifice it was to come here and leave behind my culture and connections. I try and go back every year for a couple of months now.

Kids have gone to college, are on the right path, not entitled, have their feet in both cultures. No student debt, lots of support from home (different from many of their friends), more typical gen Z (indifferent to material goods), happy.

There was no divorce, substance abuse, infidelity in our grandparents life, parents life, our life. In terms of having a happy and carefree childhood - I think I had the very best childhood and that is thanks to my dad's side of the family. They were the original liberal feminists. I have had a really blessed life. Also, DH is a great dad, so my kids have had a really supportive family.

[Anonymous]

Grew up in the projects, worked my way through college, now typical UMC life in the VA suburbs. Kids are through undergrad, one working the other starting grad school. Worry about their future not being as bright due to any number of societal factors plaguing the world today.