Senior Spotlight: What Baby Boomers Want You To Know

We all know that life is precious, and spending time with our loved ones is not something you can recreate if you miss out. While generational differences and values can feel hard to bridge, there is so much perspective and closeness to be gained by keeping the lines of communication open between older and younger individuals. 

A recent article in the Huffington Post stated the often overlooked but obvious: “As challenging as it may feel sometimes, there’s a simple solution for those wanting to experience more closeness with their boomer relatives and to understand them better: Ask more questions.” These questions can make your older loved ones and grandparents feel heard and respected and may help you see why they feel the way they do or think the way they think. 

Licensed mental health counselor, Anna Marchenko, explains that “[Older relatives] tend to want to be understood in the context of the world they grew up in. These questions often slow conversations down in a way that makes real understanding possible.”

Sample questions include: 

- ‘What do you wish people asked you about more?’

- ‘What was your family like when you were growing up?’

- ‘What did the world expect from you when you were young?’

- ‘When you look at the world now, how does it feel to you?’

- ‘Is there anything you still feel responsible for passing on?’ 

- ‘What feels good in our relationship right now? What doesn’t?’

To learn more about the reasoning behind these questions and what the answers may reveal, be sure to read the article ‘The Questions Your Boomer Relatives Wish You’d Actually Ask’ in full. 

Similarly, a women’s publication touched on a similar subject last year. Women’s minister Kelly King shared that as Baby Boomers, “We represent a large group of people who are in various stages of life. Many are still working full time, some are grandparents, and some are enjoying retirement.” She also stated that Baby Boomers have a strong work ethic, are often caring for family members, aren’t as open to talking about mental health as younger generations and that they are often optimistic about the future and love technology! 

Senior Living acknowledges that “it’s hard to give a general label to a group that came into the world over a nearly two-decade stretch—older Boomers are different from younger Boomers.” They report that in general, Boomers are characterized as being positive and having a confident attitude largely because: they watched businesses grow, experienced a high rate of home ownership, witnessed labor unions improve working conditions and saw wages rise. 

If you are a Baby Boomers, what do you wish people would ask you? If you are of the younger generation, what is the first thing you would like to ask an older relative? Is there anything you would be concerned to ask? 

Conversation can open doors to understanding – so long as both sides are heard, respected and willing to listen with an open heart. 

Cheers to living longer, living better, and speaking from within!

Bobbi 

Bobbi Decker
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