"We Didn't Have Childhood Trauma Back Then" (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)

You've probably heard it before. Maybe from your parents, maybe from an older relative, maybe in some comment section online. 'In our time, we didn't have all these issues. We weren't soft like that. Childhood trauma? We just got on with it.'

And look, I get it. I understand where they're coming from. But can we be honest for a second?

They DID have trauma. It just wasn't called that.

It Wasn't Normalised, But That Doesn't Mean It Was Normal

The older generation wasn't 'tougher' or more resilient. They were living in a constant state of fight or flight. Their focus was survival. Making money. Making ends meet. Keeping the family afloat.

That's not health. That's survival mode. And just because everyone was doing it doesn't mean it was okay.

The thing is, they didn't have the language for it. They didn't have the research. Mental health wasn't talked about. You just pushed through. You worked hard. You conformed. You were 'good.' And if you struggled? Well, you kept that to yourself.

So Why Are We Different Now?

We have awareness now. We have research showing that positive thinking, rest, balance, and mental health actually matter. They're not luxuries. They're necessities.

We've been taught to conform, to work hard, to earn a lot of money. But the world's been changing. Now we're talking about manifesting, vibrations, positive psychology. And yes, some of it sounds woo-woo, but a lot of it is backed by actual science. Research shows that how we think and behave directly impacts our happiness, health, and longevity.

So we're not 'soft.' We're just not willing to live in survival mode anymore when we know there's another way.

But here's the catch. The cost of living is still high. Life is still hard. So why don't we act like our parents did? Why aren't we just grinding it out in silence?

Because we've realised something important: life shouldn't have to be this way. Just because it was normalised doesn't mean it was normal.

But What About Our Kids?

Here's where it gets tricky. We're aware now. We're doing better. But the world is still changing, and fast.

Our children's generation is going to face pressures we didn't. Social media means constant comparison. Success looks different now. Making money doesn't require the same kind of hard work it used to. Social media is proof of that. I'm not saying people aren't working hard now, everyone's still grinding. But the accessibility of things, the speed of change, the constant noise? It's a lot.

And I worry. I worry that our kids will be less resilient. That they'll be more prone to depression because they're constantly measuring themselves against everyone else online. That the very tools meant to connect us will make them feel more isolated.

So how do we prepare them? How do we build resilience in a world that's so different from the one we grew up in?

This Is Only the Start

We're at the beginning of a shift. Our parents' generation lived one way. We're trying to do it differently. And our kids? They're going to need something else entirely.

The question isn't whether we're 'soft' compared to the older generation. The question is: how do we raise kids who are strong enough to handle a world that's constantly changing, without breaking them in the process?

And that's what I want to talk about next. Because I think the answer starts with how we were raised, what didn't work, and what we can do differently.

Stay tuned for Part 2.