23 ‘old timey’ parental beliefs that make today’s kids seem modern

# What people asked and why it matters A Reddit AskUK thread asked: "What 'old timey' views/beliefs do your parents still have?" Replies collected by The Poke show short, specific examples of beliefs that feel dated to younger generations. The responses are personal and illustrative rather than analytical, but they highlight recurring themes about gender roles, economics, social norms, and generational information gaps.

• Gender and family roles: Several respondents reported parents who expect a single main breadwinner or believe sex outside marriage is wrong. One user wrote that their dad "firmly believes that the man should always be the main breadwinner." Another described a parent forbidding holiday plans because sleeping together implied sexual activity.

• Economic distance: Multiple posts point to parental experience of final-salary pensions and cheap mortgages shaping unrealistic expectations. One comment noted parents enjoying a final salary pension larger than what a younger couple now earns. Another recalled parents buying a house when a single salary could cover it and watching its value multiply dramatically.

• Work loyalty and career ideas: The thread includes a belief that loyalty to one company guarantees good treatment, and a nostalgic notion that job hunting could be solved by "walking into a company with a suit, smile, and handshake."

• Attitudes to appearance and identity: Older relatives sometimes view tattoos or same-sex couples negatively. Examples include a mother thinking tattoos are "common and for hoodlums," and a grandmother who assumes a childless person is "incredibly selfish."

• Misperceptions about safety and trends: One user explained their mum thinks the world is more violent now, while they point to broader, faster news coverage as the driver of that perception. Another post cited an older relative insisting "autism didn't exist in his time."

# Representative excerpts

• "My dad firmly believes that the man should always be the main breadwinner in a relationship."
• "You can get a job by walking a company with a suit, smile, and handshake and subsequently earn six figures."
• "My mum thinks it's 'sad' when she sees two men together… she assumes they're a gay couple."
• "My grandad, when he was alive, thought my mum getting divorced would bring shame on the family. In 2007."

# Why these examples matter for readers These anecdotes show how lived experience — shaped by different labour markets, social norms, and limited media — produces assumptions that younger people find jarring. They also indicate where conversations between generations are most likely to stall: money and security, sexuality and identity, and the meaning of social behaviour.

# How to use this list in real conversations Keep examples short and specific when you push back. If you discuss violence or safety, cite accessible statistics or explain how wider reporting changes perception. When addressing economic nostalgia, point to concrete differences in pensions, housing costs, or employment law rather than abstract arguments. For social issues, personal stories about people you know can make abstract ideas more relatable.

# Closing note The thread is a collection of lived, everyday moments rather than systematic research. It's useful for anyone who wants quick, relatable snapshots of the views older relatives can still hold and practical ways to approach those conversations.