Boomer parents being judgemental about gig economy income

[Cupofteaandnewspaper]

This is something I’ve noticed with myself but also a close friend. Our parents don’t understand our gig economy incomes and are very against it all, and only encourage us to have one job that’s a salaried thing they understand (e.g. run of the mill admin for a large company they’ve heard of).

I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platforms, all I get is negativity when I discuss this! I’m doing the safe thing of having a salary and building up on the side, I really see a lot of potential in what I’m doing and I wish my parents could see that it’s paying for various things. All I want is positive encouragement rather than being told it’s a bad idea!

Internalised their critical voices?

How very wanky.

As an aside, the use of “trickle” conjures up an image of a very slow leak of urine. Or is that just me?

It is not just you

I think you're alienating your parents by the way you talk about your work. You could easily describe yourself as self employed, building a consultancy while working part time o pay the bills. They'd probably be supportive of that. Instead you're using a lot of soundbites and newly coined expressions which you must know make it sound as though you're doing something slightly sketchy or at best insecure.

Save the social media expressions and newly coined expressions for social media and your age-peers. If you genuinely want your parents to support you emotionally and understand what you do then explain using words and expressions which have been in common use for longer.

Being able to adapt your vocabulary and wider communication style to suit your audience is a skill which certainly used to be expected of top and middle sets of GCSE English candidates, so I'm sure you can do it if you choose to.

I don’t need their financial support or a mortgage, that’s covered

You may not have ‘needed’ their financial support but have you had their financial support 👀

Also, do you make candles 🤔 or soap or something similar.

I guess I have a portfolio trickle platform thingy too then.

A lot of people now part of the older generation suffered through times when variable mortgage rates were skyrocketing and they can't understand why someone would add to the uncertainty in their finances by coming to depend on side hustles for their standard of living.

My DM regularly bothers a sibling of mine about being self employed. Chooses to ignore all the evidence of continuous income - DCs in private school, DCs in lots of activities, nice big home, holidays abroad, etc. No, it could all fall apart as quickly as you could snap your fingers.

Part of it is that she can't understand what sibling and spouse do for a living - the area they work in is a complete mystery to her, so she can't understand how they can generate income.

DM also fails to hear news of layoffs, or assumes all the unemployed are factory workers. Suffered a lot of cognitive dissonance when one of my DCs was ' between jobs' recently and did a stint as a barista...

I would.like to add that I can understand what the OP said. I was born on the cusp of Boomer and Gen X. I have kids aged 20-31 and I'm pretty sure they would understand what the OP was saying too.

Ok boomer?

Are you openly prejudiced about other people as well? Do you use derogatory terms for other protected characteristics?

I'm not a boomer, but you appear to be hateful.

@Butchyrestingface

Ok boomer?

Can't IMAGINE where your parents are coming from. 🙄

Quite.

I can understand what the OP is saying but does not mean that it is not in the eyeball rolling territory of the emporer's new clothes of bullock speak.

My teenage dcs are not looking to create a "trickle portfolio on multiple platforms". If this is what the Korean person is doing in OP's link, that just sounds like a succession of low-skilled jobs from people who need to big up their non-jobs. Fine when you are young but not so fine when they have dependents.

Aye ye are

Bloody hell I hope this is a joke.

@Phyllis321

Bloody hell I hope this is a joke.

Jokes are funny. This is a wind up.

I think you need to realise you don’t need your parents approval regarding anything.

@AssignedBlobbyAtBirth

Aye ye are

Greatest phrase in Scots ever.

You are clearly so superior to these useless old idiots that you shouldn’t waste your time talking to them.
They clearly don’t worship your brilliance

Tell me you're an MLM hun without telling me you're an MLM hun.

If you don’t like you’re parents opinion, then maybe don’t ask for their opinion. Just say you work 2 or 3 jobs because you need the money.

@MissAngorian

Tell me you're an MLM hun without telling me you're an MLM hun.

I was thinking influencer. Hence the multiple platforms.

Well it sort of depends on what you’re doing when you’re freelancing. It’s impossible to tell from your posts whether you’re arsing around with multiple hobbies supplemented with a part-time job or properly trying to build up a business.

@FunnyGoingsOn

"I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platform" 🤦🏻‍♀️

Do you have a pension?

Have you had financial help from your parents?

Have you been watching too much TikTok ?

All a bit much for me (born in the 60s, so probably a boomer, but don't give a monkeys about what people do..)

What are your jobs? My impression is that the gig economy is concentrated in certain industries, usually those where there are fewer jobs than people with the skills to fill them whereas other industries have skill shortages and so there are still traditional 'jobs for life'. If your parents are/were in careers with skill shortages it's no wonder they are worried that you are working in such an insecure industry.

@ChargingBuck

I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platforms

Perfect reaction. I'm am clearly too old and stupid to have a couple of...er...trickly jobs

Trickle portfolio? Grow up and get a real job

Why would you use the term "boomer" (which is only ever used as an insult these days) to describe your parents and then go on to use the phrase "OK boomer?" in response to another poster?

You're coming across as very prejudiced against an entire cohort of people based entirely on the date they were born, which they cannot change any more than they can their height or their shoe size.

So, yes YABvU.