Does anyone else feel like our parents’ lives are slipping away while ours are just beginning?

Not sure if this is just me or something common among us late Gen Z / early millennials, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how little time we actually spend with our parents these days.

We’re all in that stage of life where we’re entering full-time careers, forming serious relationships, building our own routines and social circles—and it feels like life is constantly moving. But for our parents, it’s almost the opposite. Their lives are slowing down. They’re heading toward retirement, their social circles are shrinking, and on their days off, they mostly stay at home watching Netflix.

Their generation was all about “family first” the moment they got married and had kids. But now that we’re older and more independent, it feels like they’re just… waiting. Waiting for us to come home. Waiting for a text. Waiting to be included in our fast-paced lives. And I don’t blame them..it just makes me so sad.

Sometimes I look at them and feel this huge wave of guilt. Like their lives are quietly slipping away while I’m out here trying to build mine. I want to spend more time with them, but between work, friends, partners, and just life in general, it feels so hard to find the time, and when I do, it’s never enough.

I guess I’m just wondering… How do you balance this? How do you make time for your parents as an adult when life feels so full already? Or maybe you’ve found a small habit or ritual that helps you stay close?