In my latest column for Cheshire Life, I reflect on what it has been like, as a baby boomer and lifelong problem-solver, to raise a son from Generation Z.
Growing up, my generation was taught to keep emotions firmly under control. You didn’t analyse how you felt – you got on with things. Feelings were private, and emotional restraint was considered a virtue. That mindset shaped both my personal life and my professional career as a lawyer.
Through my youngest son, Pierce, I have come to see just how different today’s generation is. Gen Z is far more open, emotionally articulate, and comfortable expressing care, vulnerability, and affection. Whether it is wanting families to meet early in relationships, or taking time to write heartfelt messages, they approach life with a level of emotional intelligence that still surprises me.
At times, this openness feels unfamiliar – even uncomfortable – to those of us who were raised to suppress emotion. In my profession, I have often treated feelings as an inconvenience. Yet watching Pierce navigate relationships with clarity, calmness, and honesty has forced me to reconsider that approach.
This article is about learning from that difference. It is about recognising that emotional awareness is not weakness, but strength. And it is about accepting that perhaps my generation did not lack resilience – but sometimes lacked the language to understand ourselves.
In many ways, Gen Z has not lost anything essential. If anything, they may have found what we were taught to hide.
