No, This Is Why Your Kids Hate You
Not because you drive a petrol car.
Not because you forgot to recycle.
Not because you rolled your eyes at “climate activists.”
They hate you because you knew -and you didn’t act.
They hate you because your parents fought for something a warm, safe, decent life for the next generation and somewhere along the line, you stopped fighting.
You inherited the keys to a world your parents built from rubble.
And now your own children are scraping mould off the walls you left them in.
You’re not evil. You’re not lazy.
You just… stopped asking questions.
Stopped paying attention.
Stopped believing it could be different.
And the next generation has noticed.
The Data Is In — And It’s Personal
A global UNICEF/Capgemini study of over 5,000 young people aged 16–24 just told us everything we need to know:
- 67% are anxious about climate change
- 53% want green jobs - practical, purposeful work
- Only 44% feel they have the skills to get one
- 70% want a say in environmental policy
- But fewer than half believe adults are listening
Your child - your niece, your nephew, your apprentice - thinks you’re ignoring them. And they might be right.
You Were Meant To Be The Bridge
Your parents/grand parent built the NHS. They fought fascism. They laid brick after brick for homes that worked - and for lives that could be lived in dignity.
And what did happened?
We let the trades collapse.
We let the homes go cold.
We let the future become a marketing plan.
Your kids don’t hate you because you’re old-fashioned. They hate that you sold off everything good about that tradition and kept only the pride.
You’re Angry. Of Course You Are.
The bills keep rising. Your job and now pension - feels less secure.
Everything feels stacked against you.
And when you’re scared and angry, someone always shows up to give you a villain:
"Blame the immigrants."
"Blame the young."
"Blame the ‘woke’."
But that’s not where your anger belongs.
That’s where Facebook wants you to put it.
While you’re scrolling rage-bait,
the real problem is getting worse — quietly, profitably, and far from public scrutiny.
This isn’t about snowflakes or slogans.
It’s about skills. Purpose. Survival.
It’s about your kids — and the world they’re being handed.
They Don’t Want A Hashtag. They Want A Hammer.
They want to work. They want to learn. They want to build homes, fix heating, plant forests, install the tech we’ll all rely on. Damn it, they're the ones you call first to fix the interenet.
But they’re being blocked.
By a system that talks “green” and delivers bureaucracy.
By training providers still stuck in 1998.
By employers who say “no one wants to work” but never show up in a classroom.
And while all that happens, you’re the one they expected to fight for them.
You Don’t Need To Be A Hero. You Just Need To Show Up.
There’s still time.
Time to pass on the skills. Time to stand beside them, not in their way. Time to turn the wrench, not wag the finger.
You want to honour your parents’ legacy?
Make sure your kids have one.
What You Can Do Today
🛠 Teach. Show a young person how to insulate a loft, fit a valve, wire a board. Don’t wait for a government scheme. Do it because it matters.
🏫 Challenge. Ask your local college, council member, Rotary colleague, why they’re not training the next generation in retrofit and low-carbon tech. Demand answers.
🏗 Build. Open the door. Get your home done. Partner with community projects. Be the person they remember showed up.
🗣 Listen. Because most of all — they’re not asking you to be perfect.
They’re asking you to care.
To stop scrolling and start showing.
To be the grown-up in the room.
To stop defending the mess — and help them clean it up.
This Is For The Kids. And For You.
The world your parents fought for was worth something.
So is the one your kids are dreaming of.
Let’s not let another generation down.
Not because we didn’t know.
But because we finally - finally - acted.
They Love You - Love Them Back - They've All you Have
When the lids close, and you go. Did you help keep the lights on as your's go out?