From haggling at Best Buy to photographing concerts with iPads, these generational quirks transform everyday outings into Olympic-level exercises in secondhand embarrassment.
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Ever notice how your shoulders tense up when you're out with your parents and they start doing that thing again? You know the one I'm talking about.
Last week, I watched a friend's mom loudly negotiate a discount at Target over a perfectly fine item while my friend stood there, face flushed, pretending to check her phone.
It got me thinking about all those moments when our boomer parents, bless their hearts, do things in public that make us want to temporarily disown them.
Look, I love my parents, but there's something about that generation that seems to have missed certain social memos the rest of us got. Maybe it's the confidence that comes with age, or maybe they genuinely don't realize how some of their behaviors land in today's world.
Either way, if you've ever found yourself doing the slow slide away from your parent in public, you'll relate to this list.
1) Speaking at maximum volume about private matters
Why do they think the entire Starbucks needs to hear about their colonoscopy results? Or your cousin's divorce? Or worse, your dating life?
My mom once announced to an entire restaurant that I "finally stopped being so picky about food" when I ordered a salad without meat. The waiter didn't need to know about my dietary journey, Mom. Neither did the three tables around us.
There's this complete disconnect between indoor voice and public space awareness. They'll share medical details, family drama, and financial information at a volume that makes you wonder if they think everyone else is wearing noise-canceling headphones.
2) Haggling where haggling doesn't happen
You're at Best Buy and the price tag says $299, but here comes Dad, ready to work his negotiation magic like he's at a Moroccan bazaar.
"Can you do any better on this price?" he asks the teenage employee who literally has zero control over corporate pricing.
When they politely explain they can't change prices, he asks for the manager; when the manager says the same thing, he launches into a story about how he bought a TV here in 1987.
The secondhand embarrassment is real. You find yourself apologizing to retail workers with your eyes while pretending to be fascinated by phone cases three aisles over.
3) Treating service workers like personal assistants
Have you ever wanted to slip a server an extra tip just for dealing with your parent's endless special requests?
"Can you make sure the ice isn't too cold? And can you ask the chef if he can make something that's not on the menu? Also, we need separate checks, but can you split this appetizer three ways?"
There's asking for what you need, and then there's treating a server like they exist solely to accommodate every whim.
The worst part? They often do this while barely looking up from their phone or conversation, as if the server is invisible until needed.
4) Making comments about people's appearances
"That girl needs to eat a sandwich" or "He'd be so handsome if he lost weight" or my personal favorite, "Why would anyone get a tattoo like that?"
They say these things at a volume where the person can definitely hear them. When you frantically whisper that they can't say things like that, they look genuinely confused.
"What? I'm just being honest."
No, Mom, you're being rude. There's a difference!
5) Oversharing with complete strangers
Standing in line at the grocery store somehow becomes an opportunity to share their entire medical history with whoever happens to be nearby.
The cashier scanning their items gets to hear about their knee surgery, their neighbor's gambling problem, and how disappointed they are that their daughter (that's me) left a perfectly good finance job to become a writer.
Actually, my mother still introduces me as "my daughter who worked in finance" rather than "my daughter the writer."
But, I digress.
The poor person trapped in conversation nods politely while desperately looking for an escape route. Meanwhile, you're pretending to be deeply invested in the magazine rack.
6) Using outdated or offensive terms
They don't mean to be offensive—they really don't—but when Dad refers to the server as "honey" or Mom uses terms for ethnicities that haven't been acceptable since 1975, you feel your soul leave your body.
You've tried explaining why certain words aren't okay anymore. They respond with "Well, in my day..." or "People are too sensitive now."
The generational language gap is real, and it's mortifying when it happens in public.
7) Taking photos with their iPads
Nothing says "I'm a boomer" quite like whipping out a full-sized iPad to take a photo at a concert—blocking everyone's view behind them—or holding up the entire group tour to get the perfect shot with their tablet.
They could use their phone, but no! The iPad takes "better pictures" apparently.
Never mind that everyone behind them at the school play is now watching the performance through their massive screen.
8) Complaining about technology while refusing to learn it
"These darn machines never work!" Mom shouts at the self-checkout while jabbing at the screen like it personally offended her.
The machine is working fine, she just refuses to follow the very clear instructions.
Or when they get frustrated with online banking, email, or literally any app, but won't let you teach them how to use it properly.
They'd rather complain loudly in public about how "everything is too complicated now" while making everyone in line wait.
9) Believing and sharing everything they read on Facebook
Your dad starts telling the barista about how coffee is actually good for your liver now, according to an article he saw on Facebook.
The "article" was probably a meme, the barista doesn't care, and you're dying inside.
They share these "facts" with complete confidence, usually prefaced with "I read that..."
When you gently suggest maybe fact-checking things, they get defensive. "It was on the news!" (It was not on the news. It was a Facebook post from their friend Carol.)
10) Making everything about their generation
"Well, when I was your age..."
"Back in my day..."
"Your generation just doesn't understand..."
Every conversation becomes a comparison between how things were and how things are now.
Usually, this happens loudly in public spaces where people are just trying to live their lives without a lecture on how nobody knows how to write in cursive anymore.
Final thoughts
Here's the thing though: As mortifying as these moments are, they come from a generation that grew up in a completely different world.
My parents show love through concern about financial security. They worry because they care, overshare because they're lonely, and loud because they're losing their hearing and too proud to admit it.
Setting boundaries helps; I've learned to gently redirect conversations, step in when they're being inappropriate, and yes, sometimes just embrace the embarrassment.
One day, we'll probably embarrass our kids too, just in different ways.
Until then, we'll keep loving them, cringing at them, and occasionally pretending we don't know them in public.
It's all part of the beautiful, mortifying dance of being an adult child of baby boomers!
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Avery White
Formerly a financial analyst, Avery translates complex research into clear, informative narratives. Her evidence-based approach provides readers with reliable insights, presented with clarity and warmth. Outside of work, Avery enjoys trail running, gardening, and volunteering at local farmers’ markets.
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