Millennials, or those who were born after 1980, are now taking center stage when it comes to parenting.
It’s no surprise that technology plays a big role in the millennial’s parenting style, from getting a diagnosis on your daughter’s cough, to looking if the toy your son wants is available in the Philippines (and where to get the cheapest one, too.)
Survey Says
A new survey was conducted by Facebook IQ, the consumer research program arm of the social media site, where they enlisted the help of five parenting experts and gathered data from 8,300 parents (with ages ranging from 25-64 years old) from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA.
It was discovered that new parents spend 1.3X more on the social media site compared to those with no kids. Parents log into the site (as well as Instagram) for various reasons, but they usually use the sites to reach out to fellow parents for advice, or to validate their decisions and actions when it comes to parenting.
For the parents of the “Baby Boomer” generation, this was done mainly through long phone conversations or lunching with the ladies, but nowadays, getting the advice (or validation) needed is usually a post away.
A Happy Family?
As for the family, the survey states that “nearly 48 percent of parents say that they are concerned about money, while 39 percent say they are time-crunched.”
Mobile devices of millennial parents turn into indispensable gadgets to connect with their kids, become their digital “scrapbook”, and keep everyone’s schedules running smoothly.
Sounds stressful?
Perhaps, but parents are taking it all in stride— 77% of parents said that their family is a happy one, nonetheless.
Who Decides?
Parents who were involved in the survey stated that they involve their children more in decision-making, compared to how the millennials were raised by their own parents.
The millennial parenting style is to put more faith in their children’s capabilities, knowing that they’re perhaps more informed than when they were children themselves.
At Their Best
Millennial parents were also found to not be as martyr, knowing that even if their family and kids are their topmost priority, they also need to take care of themselves.
The survey states that “Nearly 38 percent of parents say their family is at its best when they are at their best.”
Think about this the next time you feel guilty for taking those extra 10 minutes in the shower, or an hour for a spa treatment. You need your mommy-me time to be at your best for your child!
Are you in tune with the millennial’s parenting style? Check out insights.fb.com/2016/01/11/meet-the-parents/ to know more about the results of the survey.
READ: Why kids need to learn how to be smarter than the internet
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