Gen Z children are becoming distant from their families for emotional reasons.

Building a harmonious family environment is not easy, especially for parents with Gen Z children.

Parents' belief in their children is a great source of motivation and immense value, helping them overcome all challenges - Illustration: AI

Sometimes, unintentional actions by parents can cause Gen Z to feel alienated from their families. This loneliness significantly impacts the mental, physical, and emotional health of young people, often lasting into adulthood.

Here are some behaviors from parents that can cause children to become increasingly distant from their families.

Joking about the maturity of Gen Z children.

According to a Gallup survey, 46% of Gen Z feel misunderstood by their parents, particularly regarding conflict resolution, open communication, and expressing affection. Over 62% simply want their parents to listen when they are upset, rather than being criticized, receiving unnecessary advice, or being ridiculed for personal issues, such as their level of maturity.

A generation gap exists between parents and Gen Z, stemming from differences in culture, social norms, technology, beliefs, and values, along with significant tensions such as financial instability. Major communication conflicts often begin with Gen Z feeling undervalued, ridiculed, or not actively listened to by their parents.

Children are very emotional, but their parents say they're "overreacting."

Gen Z is considered the most emotionally aware generation, as they have easy access to knowledge about mental health, healthy relationships, self-care, and personal development.

Meanwhile, parents are sometimes not open or emotionally intelligent, often suppressing their emotions and avoiding difficult topics, and tending to manipulate or criticize their children, saying they are "overreacting" or "being too sensitive" to reassure themselves. This causes Gen Z youth to gradually distance themselves and not want to talk to their parents.

Avoid arguments.

Parents who tend to avoid conflict often cause emotional insecurity in the family. Avoiding conversations about their children's psychological and emotional issues prevents conflicts from being resolved, leading to increased resentment in the children. Without the opportunity to speak frankly, clearly, and openly with their parents, Gen Z young people feel misunderstood and become more distant.

Not speaking up to defend their child.

Parents cannot protect their children from all of life's difficulties, but they can intervene and protect them when necessary, such as when their children are bullied by peers, help them learn from mistakes, or encourage them to communicate openly and honestly.

Conversely, parents who make their children feel abandoned during difficult times contribute to a greater distance between Generation Z and their families. These young people also struggle to develop emotional intelligence due to a lack of support during their upbringing.

Bias

Favoritism can manifest as parents being less strict, rewarding more, or spending more time and attention on two or more children. This undermines the balanced relationships between children in the family and can even cause resentment.

Favoritism can also cause self-esteem issues, feelings of loneliness, and mental health problems in young people. As a result, many Gen Z youth feel most comfortable when they are not at home or not near their parents.

Not respecting children's boundaries.

Many parents fail to respect some of the boundaries of their Gen Z children, particularly regarding their use of mobile phones and technological needs.

This overprotectiveness often does more harm than good, pushing children away and undermining fundamental elements like trust, respect, and communication necessary for a healthy parent-child relationship.

Parents speak ill of each other in front of their children.

Parents speaking negatively about each other to their children can have negative impacts on family relationships, comfort at home, and the children's communication skills with both parents.

By creating negative emotions and critical thoughts about the other parent in a child's mind, parents can control the family narrative. This is especially common among divorced or separated parents.

"Parent-to-parent ostracism" not only puts children in awkward situations but also triggers unpleasant emotions like guilt and shame in Gen Z youth, making them want to avoid the situation even more.

Parents lack self-confidence.

Emotionally immature parents almost always struggle with their own lack of self-confidence. They are taught, or learn, that expressing their emotions and communicating openly with others will only lead to ridicule or judgment, so they withdraw. They behave this way even with their children, giving the children the feeling that this is the right way to protect themselves.

This behavior can leave Gen Z feeling isolated and alienated, and unsure how to express their emotions and manage relationships.

Suspicion arises regarding "non-traditional" jobs and technology.

As a generation born in the digital age, Gen Z spends a large portion of their time on social media, mobile phones, and technology, to the point that these influences every aspect of their lives, from education and work to hobbies and passions.

Parents who doubt or belittle their children's views and new opportunities related to non-traditional jobs and technology can cause resentment in their children and lead to greater estrangement. At the same time, young people may also feel insecure, skeptical, anxious, and guilty for pursuing a field not supported by their parents.

Blaming others

One of the behaviors in parents that causes estrangement from their children is the tendency to blame and avoid responsibility. Instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes and actions, they shift blame and portray themselves as victims.

This can not only lead to similar behavior in children as they grow up, but it can also distance them from their parents. Children learn that making mistakes is something to be avoided at all costs, even if it means deceiving those closest to them.

Not showing emotions

The ability to openly give and receive love within the family is essential for nurturing a healthy relationship. When children do not receive unconditional love from their parents, they may resort to negative behaviors to attract parental attention, struggle to feel loved, or gradually distance themselves from the family.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/con-cai-gen-z-xa-lanh-gia-dinh-vi-nhung-ly-do-thuoc-ve-cam-xuc-20241206141147795.htm