Millennial on shocking difference between her life and her parents’ at 28

A millennial woman has gone viral after revealing the hilarious contrast between what she is doing at 28, and what her parents achieved by that age.

Louise Reid couldn’t resist sharing a post on TikTok (@__loumcg) highlighting the reality of a 28-year-old in the modern day, compared to her parents’ generation. The amusing post showed an image of her parents, Christine and John McGuckin, getting married at the age of 28, which is a stark contrast to Reid’s life in her twenties.

Rather than a wedding photo, the screenshot revealed the text that Reid, from Scotland, sent to her mom showing how proud she was of her coloring skills. Alongside the post, the caption reads: “I’m just a child.”

After spending around 20 minutes on the coloring, Reid told Newsweek that she sent the picture to her mom to “see what her response would be.” She thought her mom would make fun of her activity, but she was surprised by the support she received instead.

The TikTok post was in jest, but Reid wanted to show the differences between how millennials are spending their time now, compared to what older generations used to do.

“I had gone out shopping with my parents earlier on in the day, and I got back to my house and decided to color,” Reid said. “I honestly thought my mum would make fun of me, so I was surprised she actually did like my coloring.”

Reid continued: “I think my generation doesn’t have to grow up as fast as my parents’ generation did. The cost of living is definitely a big thing to consider, and the lack of job opportunities. I just know that, if my mum sent my gran a photo of her doing coloring at the age of 28, she wouldn’t have got the same response my mum sent me.”

To Reid’s surprise, the TikTok post went viral since it was shared in November. At the time of writing, it has already amassed more than 1.7 million views and over 171,900 likes.

Reid never expected it to receive so much attention online, as she thought it would only be seen by her close friends. However, she said that the overwhelming support that it has generated shows how relatable it is for many other people like her.

While she may not be hitting the same milestones as her parents did at the same age, Reid said she loves filling her time with these enjoyable moments and focusing on herself. Indeed, she was even gifted three new coloring books for Christmas, so she will no doubt continue sharing photos of her artwork throughout 2025.

“I enjoy coloring as it gets me to put my phone down and concentrate on another task, so it can be very therapeutic,” Reid told Newsweek.

Since her TikTok post went viral, it has gained more than 860 comments at the time of writing. Many people hailed the millennial’s choice of pastime, while others shared their own similar experiences.

One comment reads: “Isn’t it wonderful that you don’t have to grow up so fast?!”

Another TikTok user wrote: “This is too relatable.”

A third millennial posted: “I’m 38 and send photos of my paint by numbers to my parents and they act like I’m Van Gogh.”

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