HEY Seniors, Ease Off the Advice Pedal

 TITLE: HEY Seniors, Ease Off the Advice Pedal

By Fong Muntoh

We seniors love to say, “I’ve been through it. I’ve got experience to share.” But let’s be honest — how often does that line truly land with today’s younger generation?

We may believe our stories are gold — and in many ways, they are. We survived tough times, made hard choices, and came out with battle-worn wisdom. But here’s the hard truth: the next generation isn’t exactly waiting eagerly by the rocking chair for our life lectures. They’ve got Google, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok. Every piece of advice we think we’re uniquely offering? It’s already out there. Indexed, hashtagged, commented on, and likely debunked.

Our “experience” used to be currency. Now, it’s nostalgia. And nostalgia has a short shelf life in a world that updates every 10 seconds.

The issue isn’t that we’re wrong — we might be right. The real issue? They just haven’t lived long enough to care yet. Wisdom only sinks in when life gives it context. Until they feel the sting of their first heartbreak, the regret of an unspoken apology, or the quiet joy of choosing peace over pride — our advice is just noise.

You can’t teach lived experience. It has to marinate.

And honestly, didn’t we do the same? How many times did we brush off our elders with a polite nod, only to realise years later that they were right — painfully, beautifully, maddeningly right?

But that realisation was ours to earn. Just as this new generation needs to earn theirs.

So instead of trying to hand down life like a manual, maybe it’s time we step back. Let them make the mistakes. Let them fall. Let them get up with scuffed knees and bruised egos. That’s how they’ll write their story. Not as a copy of ours, but as something entirely their own.

We’re not irrelevant. We’re just… background music now. A steady hum of support, not a booming voice of instruction. When they’re ready, they’ll ask. And when they do, that’s our cue to speak — not to lecture, but to reflect. Not to control, but to companion.

Until then, maybe our wisest move is to simply smile and say,

"You’ll see. And when you do, I’ll still be here.