The Sunday Herald, 2 October 2005, reported: “Forget the generation gap … teenagers say their best friends are their grandparents“. Some wag once said that teenagers and grandparents get on well mainly because they have a common enemy 🙂
But, in reality, there should be no surprise about this finding, if you understand Generational Theory. The Millennial generation (born 1980s to 2000s) are different from the Boomers and Gen Xers who went before them. They have stronger family connections, are looking to be grounded in their heritage (this is largely a defense mechanism against a world of constant change), are civic-minded, confident (so much so, they’re almost arrogant), networkers and street smart.
Teenagers and Grandparents
