A young mom started a big argument by making a video on TikTok. She asked older people not to talk to kids they don’t know. Many people watched her video and talked about it.
She also said that older people sometimes make kids feel bad about themselves, and she thinks they shouldn’t do that.
But people online are responding, with one person saying, “I’m not from that older generation, but I’ll gladly ignore this woman and her family.”
Even though we have different generations alive together, we act and behave very differently.
One big difference is that baby boomers, who are the second biggest group after millennials, usually don’t use TikTok to share their opinions.
But that’s exactly what a young mom did.
A young parent named kay.n.zee, or Kay on TikTok, asked older people to stop talking to kids they don’t know.
Kay got upset when an older person approached her and started giving unnecessary compliments to her 2-year-old daughter in a store.
“This older person came up to us. She looked at my daughter and said, ‘Oh, you are so pretty.’ But my daughter didn’t say anything because she doesn’t talk to strangers. I thanked her, but then she waited for my daughter to respond. After a bit more talking, she asked, ‘You don’t think you’re pretty?’ I was shocked. I told her, ‘No, she knows she’s beautiful. She just doesn’t talk to people she doesn’t know.’ Why would you even suggest that to her? She doesn’t understand what ‘not pretty’ means. She thinks everyone and everything is pretty, beautiful, and interesting.”
Credit / Kentaroo Tryman / Gretty.
She also says, “But it seems like they always find a way to make kids feel bad. It’s really frustrating.”
In the video, which has gotten 1.8 million views and become very popular, the person goes on to talk about another time when another older person came up to her and her daughter, who is mixed race. The man said, “‘Wow, she’s beautiful. Look at that perfect olive skin. Where is her father from?'”
She says, “Just leave us be. Please don’t talk to us.” She thinks it’s better to ignore what makes each person different instead of accepting it.
Without mentioning Gen X, Kay says, “Millennial and Gen Z parents are trying really hard to stop the harmful feelings of self-hate that boomers taught them.”
Talking to Bored Panda, Kay explained her views, saying that both positive and negative interactions can shape a child’s character and qualities as they grow up.
“If kids and baby boomers or anyone else interact in the right way, it can be good,” she explained. “But if the interactions are forced or wrong, it could lead to problems like trying too hard to please others.”
Credit / FatCamera / Getty.
“It’s really important for kids to know how to speak up and feel safe in any situation. Even when they’re young, they should know that their body, safety, and feeling comfortable are really important.”
She’s not just talking about a woman complimenting her daughter’s eyes and shoes.
“In my situation, the woman asked, ‘You don’t think you’re pretty?’ after my daughter didn’t say anything to her first comment,” the original poster explained.
Explaining more, the TikTok user told Bored Panda that she didn’t mean to say there should be no contact between different generations.
“I want to clear up what I meant by ‘asking baby boomers to stop talking to children’,” she said. “Some people are misunderstanding. What I meant was to not talk to kids you don’t know, except for simple things like saying ‘Hi’ or ‘I like your shoes’… I just didn’t like how the woman kept trying to make my 2-year-old talk to her when my daughter clearly didn’t want to, and she didn’t even talk to me.”
Heated debate
Even though Kay tried to explain, lots of people online are upset with how she talked about millennials, saying it’s not fair to call a whole generation toxic.
“This makes me really sad. Being with other people is really valuable. If you don’t want to be around people, you can always have things brought to you,” says one person.
Another person writes, “Why are people being so unfriendly? When older people talk to me and my daughter, I see it as them just connecting with someone and remembering their own past.”
“Talking to older people is a good way to learn from their experiences and wisdom. I don’t like how society is becoming so against everything. Everyone is too afraid to say what they think, too afraid to take action,” writes another person.
“I’m not from that older generation, but I’m okay with ignoring this woman and her kids,” says another person.
At the same time, other millennials agree with Kay’s thoughts.
Someone says, “That’s why I find it difficult to take my kids to the grocery store. Older people don’t seem to understand basic boundaries.”
“I understand what you’re saying. Older people can be quite pushy,” shares another person.
Another person online thinks that people from different generations have different ways of talking. “My mom, who is from the boomer generation, always starts conversations by talking about how people look. They seem really interested in appearances.”
Another person online adds, “I have a situation where kids I don’t know try to talk to me. I don’t reply, and their parents get upset, saying, ‘Hey, my kid is talking to you.'”
What do you think about this situation? Do you think the TikTok user is being fair? Share your thoughts, and then share the story to hear what others think!