I love this article from the telegraph, as a recent study by researchers have uncovered something quite serious:

Almost four in ten parents think that they are out of touch with the younger generation because they don’t keep up with music and technology, researchers discovered. One in four even admitted they believe that their children see them as “very uncool”.

Their dress sense, owning a “sensible” car and even being a smoker are among the things that make parents feel old-fashioned.

The rest of the research is actually pretty even ended. 3 in 10 keep up with the times and the rest over-all don’t really care and understand it as “just the way it is.”

The study of 2,000 parents who have children aged between 13 and 25, found that having no idea what song is at number one in the charts is most likely to leave them feeling uncool, followed by failing to work an iPhone without asking for help.

Not being able to sing along to chart songs, their dress sense and owning a sensible car completed the top five.

The study itself is pretty entertaining, because the outcome was a top 30 of reasons why they feel uncool. I never got with my parents at all. They were their own people, their own generation, so it’s an absolutely foreign concept to me of parents feeling uncool around their kids. At the very least let’s go over this list of 30 and really break down the wall of uncool-ness.

1. Not knowing what is number 1 in the charts
There is a common misconception that adults always feel the need to be up to date in music. Frankly, if you’ve hit that point in your life where you’re old and have a family, chances are you’ve spent a good chunk of that time establishing what your musical tastes are. So whether something is number one or not, you know what you like. But if you work at a job where you get to listen to the radio, doesn’t matter, you’re covered.

Plus, I don’t think you’re missing out on those number ones anyway.

2. Not being able to work an iPhone
Things take time. If you don’t understand it’s because you’ve never bothered to understand, so what do you need an iPhone for if you don’t want to put in the effort to understand it. If you want a phone, just get and use a phone. most smart phones are a waste of your time anyway.

3. Not knowing the words to current songs
Let me help you with this:

We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain
We jumped never asking why
We kissed, I fell under your spell.
A love no one could deny

Don’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you
I can’t live a lie, running for my life
I will always want you

I came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah, you, you wreck me

Cool, moving on.

4. Their dress sense
Unless you’re walking around like the government money guy, this shouldn’t be a problem. A lot of the kids out there don’t really have much of a dress sense to begin with because they’re still trying to figure themselves out. But maybe you’re a little uncomfortable, because the kids think you dress like a hipster, when it’s perfectly normal for you to dress the way you do, at your age.

5. Owning a sensible car
Any car that can get you from point A to point B, is pretty sensible.

6. Not seeing the attraction in computer games
The funny thing about this one, is that I’m surprised that this is still a thing that someone would think, do be honest, as the generations get older, we’d be hitting that point where the parents now are the ones that grew up with them fancy-dancy computer games. I’ll consider this one a stalemate though, even as I get older, the only game that I ever really talk HIGHLY about is Tetris, I’m not that interested in these modern games too Grandpa.

7. Not knowing what ‘Twerking’ is

8. Not knowing what Spotify is
With so many different ways to listen to music, that doesn’t even matter anymore.

9. Not letting the children stay out late
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure your kin are safe. If giving your child a curfew makes you feel uncool, then reassure those kids that it’s for their own safety and just show them news articles of all the terrible things that have been going on in your neighborhood for the past 6 months. The worst you could ever say to them at this point is “I told you so.”

10. Making the Children wear the correct school uniform
Keep in mind that the telegraph is a British news outlet. I can’t comment on this one. I’m happy that kids at least still wear clothing when they go to school.

11. Singing and dancing around the house
Children do that all the time. If you do that, you’re only rubbing it in that you can do it better.

12. Being a smoker
Well factually, smoking has always been uncool. You know, for your health.

13. Their Hairstyle
Does it still look like the 80s? That was a pretty weird time for hair.

14. Wanting to join the children on nights out
This coincides with number 9. You’re ensuring the safety of your kids. Though you don’t have to do it all the time, it’s just important to connect with your kids in settings that don’t always have to be in the house. As they get older they may feel embarrassed, but again, Dress in whatever the hell you want.

15. Not knowing who harry styles is

Do you really need to know?

16. Not letting the children get their ears pierced
A decision as old as time.

17. Not letting the children have a Facebook account
Children should always learn to make friends and have experiences with others in physical settings, before they should even be presented the opportunity to hermit in front of their computer screen and get jealous of all the things that they’re not doing.

18. Not letting the children have a mobile phone
If you have a landline house phone, that’s all you need. make the children understand that.

19. Not knowing how to work the TV/DVD player
IN MY DAY IT WAS VCRs! But in your defence, TV has become a lot more ridiculous than it needs to be.

20. Not understanding the Need for cable television
I’m totally with you on this, if only because I don’t pay attention to television myself. It’s fair to not need it anyway because your children are never going to be around to watch the shows when they air, and they will probably just go and download them onto the computer anyway.

21. Having a Facebook account
The popularity of Facebook is actually dwindling down with the younger generation, because more and more older people are starting to use it. So if you don’t have one, you’re actually doing your children a favour. But if you are going to use any form of social media, please make it twitter. It’s more fun, and it’s all Facebook is good for anyway. (My mom uses it, I suspect she just needs more time to figure it out.)

22. Not letting children wear what they want
Letting a child wear what they want, is the first step in letting the child think they can get away with anything. It is very important that you don’t screw this up, and being ‘uncool’ is a small price to pay.

23. Boasting about my children on Facebook
You’re officially a bad parent if that’s the case then.

24. Getting on well with the Children’s friends
There’s no greater accomplishment for a parent when your kid’s friends think that you’re cool. The cool factor you receive trumps any angsty outburst that the child will project. Be warned though, the only thing you should ever do is acknowledge it. The last thing you want to start doing, is desperately trying to retain any sense of childhood that you’ll never get back.

25. Not allowing the children to have a tattoo
Give them rub-ons. If that doesn’t work, threateningly point at the door to the outside.

26. Being a terrible cook
Some people can’t. That’s fine. Frankly, you’d be more cool to your kids if you ordered out here and there. At least it’s important to find out, as parents, which one of you is at least capable of cooking something edible. partition house responsibilities accordingly.

27. Having a tattoo
That’s something you can start to regret way before you even have children.

28. Not allowing the children to have an iPad
They already have 20 other things around the house that can do things way better, than that waste of money will ever do. Their eyes don’t need to be glued to a screen every waking moment. come on, you’re a better parent than worrying about something that ridiculous. Just be happy that you know how to raise your kids.

29. Not having a tattoo
That’s something you can start to regret way before you even have children.

30. Being too house proud
I guess I might be too, if I was the only one cleaning it up. give them chores, you’ll feel better for yourself.

There you go, that’s essentially the list, it’s actually quite the eye opener into the mindset of AT LEAST 2,000 parents that live in the UK. For those parents that live anywhere else in the world, how does that list affect you? Can you relate? Do you find it absurd? Any future parents already feeling self-conscious about what their kids will think of them? Let’s chat about it in the comments below.