Millennial Dad's Observation on Parenting Now vs in the 1990s Goes Viral

Newsweek

6 hours ago

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A millennial dad is going viral online for his take on parenting differences between the 1990s and today.
Jack Skipper (@mrjackskipper), 37, posted a clip on TikTok arguing that parents today keep their kids entertained by giving in to what they want to do, like going to an adventure playground or planning a scavenger hunt.
"When I was growing up [in the 90s], you just did what your parents wanted to do. You just had to sort of follow them... and make your own entertainment," Skipper said in his clip.
Millennial dad wearing a black shirt speaking to the camera making a TikTok video.
Millennial dad wearing a black shirt speaking to the camera making a TikTok video.
@mrjackskipper
The UK-based comedian told Newsweek he was planning his son's birthday when he realized the family had already done a lot of the options he had for a party on an ordinary weekend.
"It just made me think, we're always doing stuff," he said. "When I was a kid, we only did special activities on birthdays."
Skipper also told viewers that most of his childhood was spent following his mom around while she shopped and trying to help her find the correct size for clothing items she wanted.
"It's the closest I came to a scavenger hunt," he quipped.
The father of two told Newsweek that his children are "unfortunately" too old for soft play now—an ideal activity for them to burn off energy and him to relax with a coffee.
Now, he taps into some free activities to keep his kids entertained.
"I try not to spoil them, so we enjoy doing things like going for a walk in the park or the playground," Skipper told Newsweek. "I think it gives us a good opportunity to bond and chat."
Still, it's a far cry from his own upbringing. He recalls that if his dad was going to the dump, "I'd go with him and that would be a treat, or if he had to go to [the hardware store], I'd come along," he said.
"Even if my mom was going shopping, even if I didn't want to go, I didn't have a choice. I just had to go and make my own entertainment."
Generational trends expert Daniel Levine told Newsweek that the way children spend their free time has changed since the 1990s.
"Kids' time was a lot less structured back then," he said. "It's not that children have changed, but their parents have. Today, parents stuff their kids' schedules with things to do, mimicking the trend towards busyness that adults have created for themselves."
Levine pointed to two major trends behind this shift: Many modern parents actively manage their children's schedules, aiming to expose them to a variety of activities.
On top of this, dual-income households and busy schedules make families strive for "quality time" rather than just running errands together.
"[Skipper] seems bemused by this change, and the consequences are both positive and negative," Levine said. "While it's good that children are exposed to a wider range of experiences and skills, we're also seeing increases in anxiety among children and a dependency on parents far later into adulthood."
Skipper's clip has amassed over 368,000 views and resonated with other millennials on TikTok, many of whom recalled their own childhoods spent trailing their parents in their adult lives and making ther own fun.
"I was dragged around carpet shops," one user shared.
"Don't forget car boot sales and charity shops. Hated it," another wrote.
A third user wrote, "Kids come first these days, expectations are so high."
Skipper, who is currently on his tour "Skint," told Newsweek that he didn't expect the video to garner so much attention.
"It's a bit of a gamble, but that one seemed to hit home for a lot of people," he said. "I've tried to integrate some of that old school 90s parenting into my modern parenting to show the kids there are different ways you can have fun."