Gen X is exhausted. Not just the “I need a nap” kind of tired, but the “I’ve been carrying multiple generations on my back, and now my joints are demanding workers’ comp” kind of tired.
For decades, we’ve quietly handled everything—raising kids, caring for aging parents, keeping the workforce running, and, apparently, ruining grandparenting by refusing to be live-in nannies on demand.
At this point, our options are burn out completely or retire early—even if it financially makes zero sense—just to breathe.
So let’s talk about it.
Ah, Gen X. The unsung, overworked, eternally underestimated middle child of the generations. Born between the self-important Boomers, and the chronically online Millennials, we’ve spent decades quietly holding everything together while somehow managing to avoid both participation trophies and “greatest generation” status. And now? We’ve been slapped with a new title: bad grandparents.
Yes, you heard that right. Apparently, after surviving latchkey childhoods, perfecting the art of fixing things with duct tape, paying off everyone else’s student loans, keeping the economy from completely imploding, and raising families with zero manuals, we are now failing at grandparenting.
Why? Because Gen Xers aren’t bending over backward to serve up round-the-clock childcare, financial bailouts, and emotional life coaching without question. Because after decades of being the responsible generation, we had the audacity to—*gasp!*—start setting boundaries.
And while we’re at it, can we talk about how we’re somehow ALSO expected to financially support our Boomer parents? Yes, the same parents who reminded us daily that “no one’s going to hand you anything in life” are now expecting us to pay off their mortgages, fund their retirement, and cover their medical bills while still saving for our own futures and keeping our kids afloat. Oh, the irony.
But here’s the real kicker: Gen X is exhausted. Like, physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. Years of grinding, supporting everyone else, and putting ourselves last have taken a toll. We are burning out, developing chronic illnesses, suffering from stress-induced disabilities, and watching our own health deteriorate while still being handed more responsibilities.
At this point, many Gen Xers are strongly considering early retirement—not because we’ve hit some cushy financial milestone, but because we simply need a break before life takes the rest of our sanity and lower back strength. Retirement planning now consists of running the numbers, realizing we can’t afford it, and then doing it anyway because working until the grave is not the vibe.
Listen, we get it. We’re good at handling things. We don’t complain (too much). We don’t demand validation every five seconds. But we would like to opt out of the bottomless pit of expectations that assumes we will continue playing the role of **human Swiss Army knife** for every generation above and below us.
Oh, and about that ‘bad grandparent’ label? Let’s compare notes.
This weekend alone, we baked cookies, played board games, ran around outside, played video games, watched a movie, made sure they had a bath, and even gave them a haircut. Oh, and we survived all of it without needing to be bribed with whiskey and silence.
So remind us again—what exactly makes us bad grandparents? Because we would’ve loved to have had grandparents like us growing up.
Let’s be honest: Gen X grandparenting is active, engaging, and a million times more fun than sitting quietly in a stiff chair while grandpa reads the newspaper and complains about “kids these days.”
If anything, it’s time to ditch that tired label because Gen X is doing grandparenting right.
#GenX #Burnout #Overworked #BadGrandparentsMyFoot #WeDidEverything #TimeForABreak #MiddleChildGeneration #RetirementSoundsNice
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