"Are millennials overprotective, 'precious' or just too broke to pay someone to mind their children? Niamh O'Reilly asks mums and dads about the barriers to leaving their kids with someone other than family For many of today's millennial parents who grew up in the 80s/late 90s, having a teenage babysitter mind you for the evening when your mum and dad went out was the norm."
"With no mobile phones or internet to contend with, teenagers might be left the number of a restaurant or venue the parents were at and given some basic guidelines, but by and large, that was it, and we all survived fairly well."
Millennial parents often hesitate to leave children with non-family caregivers because of financial constraints, heightened safety concerns, and reduced community trust. Many recall being left with teenage babysitters in the 1980s and 1990s with minimal instructions and no mobile technology. The arrival of mobile phones and the internet has changed expectations about supervision and immediate contact. Greater awareness of risks, tighter budgets, and social caution limit paid and informal babysitting options. Reliance on family networks remains common where feasible, while others forgo outings or seek alternative informal arrangements.
Read at Independent
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