Nina In New York: Millennials Aren't Always The Worst At Everything!

A lighthearted look at news, events, culture and everyday life in New York. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

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By Nina Pajak

Millennials get a bad rap. Perhaps it's because they're simply the latest generation to enter adulthood, making them the frosh losers of the real world. Perhaps it's because they really are the worst. They're lazy, they're entitled, they're affected hipsters, they won't pick up the phone to make an actual person-to-person call unless they're on fire, they're obsessed with taking selfies. They rely on their parents too much, they're self-righteous, the list goes on and on. Up until recently, I too was a millennial hater.

Then I discovered the embarrassing, distressing truth: I am one of them.

I was born in 1982, which appears to place me and my birth year brethren in a bit of generational no man's land. We're juuuust this side of too young to be at the tail end of Gen X, which is underscored by the fact that I was still pre-pubescent when Reality Bites came out. So although there are current millennials who are barely able to drink legally, it seems to be generally accepted fact that I and my ilk are the reluctant elders of this reviled tribe.

Feh.

But here's a glimmer of good publicity for my crew! According to a recent Fidelity Investments report, millennials are better parents than our arguably less annoying older sibs. For despite the fact that we are widely regarded as coddled, spoiled brats, it turns out we are already doing a better job saving up for our kids' college educations. This is true whether you compare us to Gen X parents now, and when you compare us to them when they were our age. Got it? We certainly do.

Perhaps it's because we came of age in a financial crisis, rife with unemployment. Perhaps it's because we, the children of success-obsessed helicopter parents, are keenly aware of how increasingly difficult it is both to get into and pay for private universities. Perhaps it's just because we're better than anyone thought we were, and we are poised to eclipse all previous generations with our surprising levels of practicality and forethought! Be warned, millennial-haters. Our 529 savings plans are healthily tended and our minds are sharp. Our children will be your children's bosses some day. That is, assuming they don't all turn into giant, walking iPads with arms and legs, or get abducted and brainwashed by their robot butlers. I mean, no one can predict the future. All I'm saying is, ours is looking a little brighter right about now. Attention must be paid.

Nina Pajak is a writer living with her husband, daughter and dog in Queens. Connect with Nina on Twitter!