Gen Z wants to get rid of their parents

In the series of seminars The SACE Journey, episode 2 with the theme “How does Gen Z overcome happiness and overcome suffering?”, premiered on the evening of March 29, Gen Z representatives shared their desire for parents to understand better to support support and accompany the decisions of young people.

Gen Z “overcame happiness”

The first part of the discussion discussed the issue of Gen Z “overcoming happiness”. The two guests interpreted the phrase “surpassing happiness” here as being with the family’s full finances, with the protection and careful care of parents, which is a blessing, but it becomes a burden on the family. you with expectations from the parents who provided those “services” to them.

To clarify how these happy conditions affect Gen Z, Harvard graduate student Do Hong Hoang My conducted a survey to document the master’s thesis. The survey was conducted at a specialized school in Ho Chi Minh City and students in a central highland province in 2021. The obtained results show that students with good conditions face obstacles in independent development, choices about the future and career direction.

The students at the city’s specialized schools are fully supported by their families, create many opportunities, and even have a career orientation that leads to three results: passively following the wishes of their parents, or being ignorant. confusion) to choose about future development, or (often seen) disagreements when children do not follow the will of their parents, want to choose their own path. Meanwhile, students in the Central Highlands have to self-direct and make decisions for their personal development because their parents don’t know anything to support. “The fullness of the city’s friends is also what you need to overcome, overcoming happiness is overcoming the shadow of your parents,” Hoang My shared.

Vo Phuong Dung, a 12th grader at Renaissance International School added that she is also a Gen Z generation and is having to overcome certain joys. Dung is an only child, attending an international school. The female student shared: “People will probably think that I am someone’s child, but actually overcoming these things, I feel more miserable than other students who overcome normal suffering. Happiness is just financial happiness, and Parents’ love for their children is measured by financial support, then the thoughts that parents have worked hard to have the best conditions for their children, or parents’ wishes… are really things. suffering and lead to conflicts in the family”.

Previously, at the seminar The SACE Journey episode one, Dr. Dao Minh Hong also emphasized: “Vietnamese parents are too protective and interfere deeply in their children’s studies, they will lose their independence and always feel pressured. “.

So how did GenZ get over it? Hoang My said, I have effectively used the family’s financial resources to achieve higher goals than normal goals that any friend with or without financial conditions can do. Overcoming happiness is taking advantage of the family’s material conditions actively, using that advantage as a springboard, striving to achieve higher and more elite goals.

Hoang My also reminds young people to review whether they have built trust with their parents, have lived and studied so that their family can rest assured, have nothing to worry about them? Most importantly, when you want to live your own life, are you able to convince your parents to accept it by analyzing your decision on the basis of your own understanding?

Phuong Dung also added that she received a lot of attention because she was an only child. This protection is only pleasurable at a certain age, and in adulthood this turns into suffering. However, instead of arguing, the female student chooses to give a clear and drastic argument to prove it to her parents, or to find a psychologist together to remove the conflict.

Gen Z “overcoming suffering”

“Overjoyed,” Hoang My shared about Gen Z’s “suffering”. Firstly, you have too many choices about new paths and new careers, so you don’t know what to choose and are always confused. worry. The second is that you have both finances and parental care, so you often have no motivation, no goals, no effort in life. You also have too much information, many books on how to be a successful person, but you don’t have practical experiences, and you don’t have a playground to verify information and find out what’s right for you.

Agreeing with Hoang My’s view, Dr. Phi Yen, program coordinator, said that Gen Z is having challenges that previous generations did not have. What seemed complete made them become more bewildered.

Phuong Dung added, young people have another suffering to overcome is social prejudices in choosing majors. For example, many of you like technology-related industries such as Tiktoker, Youtuber, gamer, vlogger, but because of many prejudices, you are confused and don’t know how to choose. Another thing is that you lack a playground to experience, like many of you are interested in gender equality but don’t know where to start…

With the question of how to “overcome suffering” effectively, Phuong Dung said that young people should not be in a hurry, can even create their own playground to experience, from which to make the right choice.

Meanwhile, the Harvard graduate student wishes to be able to open a support network from university students with high school students to shape the future, discover themselves, find the answer to who they are and Which career is right for you…

Nguyen Phuong