If it weren’t obvious enough, you should know the truth: the gaps between generations are getting bigger.

Reflecting on the six types of generations, many differences and few similarities stand between them all. Just looking at the years alone can give you a sense as to how each set of decades affected the generation:

GI Generation (born 1902-1926)

Silents (born 1927-1945)

Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964)

Generation X (born 1965-~1980)

Millennials or Generation Y (born 1981-2000)

Generation Z or Boomlets (born after 2001)

With all this talk about Millennials (my generation), I’ve decided to give an explanation for our “horrible” decision-making. It may not be satisfying to those in the generations before us, but will finally put our feelings and motive behind our actions into words.

When I talk with people who are part of Gen X or Baby Boomers, one of my favorite phrases they use is “when I was your age”. Those five words are the exact pinpoint where you know they’re going to talk about life as a kid in their day. To be honest, I find it interesting. I like hearing about their stories, hardships, and shenanigans, but it really gets to me (and many others) when the conversation takes a turn to another one of my favorite phrases: “we never did ___ like you have”.

This phrase is quite problematic. There are some factors that have caused us to make decisions that previous generations would not agree with; in other words, their decisions have affected our lives and the ways we live today.

It’s quite obvious that things are much different growing up now than it was back then. A one dollar bill back then could buy much more than it could today. Many financial situations that were once possible for them are no longer possible for us –and they may not be available for a very long time.

In times like these, it’s no wonder why we are making the decisions with the thought of how it will affect the future generations.

The older generations wonder why we “complain too much” or have “psycho issues” and “are lazy”.

We “complain” because we wantchange.

We want to exercise the right to protest against things that we don’t agree with. We want to defend each other from the harm our government causes minorities. We want to improve the lives of everyone –both present and future.

We have “psycho issues," but so do other generations.

Previous generations realized the struggles of mental health too late. We understand the importance of mental health, not just physical health. We push our government to provide better mental facilities and to make it socially acceptable to be vulnerable and honest.

We “are lazy” because we are running ourselves dry trying to improve ourselves –improve each other –to provide a better life to those who aren’t living yet.

As Millennials, we make our own decisions –and we’re proud of it.

We’re walking the path untraveled because we are tired of the way things have been. We are ready to take on the opinions of others. We are ready to show the world that we need Millennials.

We are here to stay.