Why do millennials lack practical life skills? Staff Therapist Emma Steiner weighs in on philly.com
November 28, 2017
“Don’t know how to balance a checkbook or change a tire?” philly.com’s Terri Akman posits that you’re not alone. “Many [millennials] turn to technology to gain necessary life skills they never learned growing up,” the article states.
Why don’t millennials know these practical skills? According to Ruth Lamberty, it’s because teenagers are focused on getting into college. They spend their time with other activities, and household responsibilities are largely handled by their parents. Lamberty founded an educational consulting firm teaching independent life skills called Adult Prep.
Staff Therapist Emma Steiner weighed in for comment on this generational shift in parenting styles.
Social worker Steiner has seen adolescence become a longer life stage, in some part due to kids living longer in their parents’ homes. “The way millennials were raised by baby boomer parents was reactive to the way baby boomers were raised by their parents. There’s been a move to more supportive parenting,” Steiner said.
At some point, though, “the young adults need to take responsibility for themselves and their own development.”