Younger generations reveal the most frustrating habits of their Boomer parents

As generations evolve, so do the quirks, habits, and cultural milestones that define them. While much of the focus on generational clashes tends to be between Gen Z and millennials, there's another divide that's just as relatable – and often just as funny: the difference between younger generations and their Boomer parents.

Boomers have a set of habits that have become almost universally perplexing (and occasionally amusing) to their children. A recent Reddit thread shed light on some of these behaviours and attitudes, with many millennials, xennials and Gen-Zers chiming in to share their own experiences.

Here's a roundup of some of the most humorous and relatable quirks that have left younger generations scratching their heads about their Boomer parents.

The technology gap

The most notable discussion in the Reddit thread centred around the notable technology gap. Many users shared their parents struggle with basic tech tasks, such as using smartphones or understanding apps.

"The complete lack of knowledge on how technology works: 'My Internet doesn't work, so I called the Apple Store,'" one person chimed in.

Another complained about pretty much "being their tech support," adding: "They have now taken to not telling me something is broken until I show up. Like an hour into the visit, it will be, 'Oh yeah, and the security camera out front hasn't worked in 3 months, and the Roku is frozen, and...'"

Meanwhile, another joked about how his parents constantly answer the phone to spam calls, "Just don’t pick up mom, you know all your friends' numbers!"

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Saving everything

Another common quirk among Boomer parents is their tendency to save everything, from old receipts to outdated manuals, often cluttering the home with piles of physical items – not necessarily a bad thing, as there have been times they've come through with the things we didn't think we needed.

"They save EVERYTHING (containers, jars, boxes, etc.) just in case they might be able to use it for something later. I feel like this habit was handed down from our grandparents' Great Depression upbringing," one person wrote.

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Constantly having the news or weather on

It appears as though many of the Boomer parents discussed in the thread are big fans of the news and weather channels.

"My dad always has the news on TV, even if he’s not in the room. Even on holidays and large family gatherings. I’ll turn it off… and somehow the TV gets magically turned back on… even if he’s spending most of the time in the kitchen on at the grill in the backyard," one humoured.

Another shared how her mum is "obsessed" with the weather channel.

"She watches the weather channel for hours," she penned. "She will show you pictures on her phone of the amount of snow she got 6 months ago, even if the photo is no snow because it was a dry winter."

"It’s very frustrating. But at least it’s not Fox News."

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Insisting expired food is 'fine' to eat

Another humorous response among Boomer parents is that expired food is still "fine" to eat, often leading to some head-scratching moments.

"My mother-in-law doesn't throw out expired food," one wrote. "She has food in her pantry that is several years passed their expiration dates. Same with condiments in her fridge.

"You just can't trust any of the food she has on hand because more than likely than not it's way expired. When we have brought this up, that she needs to throw some stuff out, she insists it's absolutely fine. It's not."

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Work and well-being

With millennials and Gen Z on a mission to strike up the perfect work-life balance, one dad wasn't having it at all.

"It drives my dad nuts that I can take time off work just to take time off work. Not because I'm sick or we have a vacation planned. Just because I need a wellness day or something with my kid," one response read. "He just doesn't understand how a company could allow that and how I could take advantage of it."

Some responses also highlighted the naivety to the modern job market, with some Boomer parents believing you can rock up to a company and say "I'd like a job please," and go from there.

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That all said and done, one Redditor tried to keep the peace between generations, writing: "I know this isn't as focused as your post is, but I am tired of hearing the Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z folks endlessly bash each other.

"It's amazing how toxic a lot of the online discourse between those generations tends to be.

"The amount of energy it takes to so blindly and arrogantly brush everyone in a particular age group as the worst human beings that have lived is truly something interesting to witness."

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