Millennials still feel pressure to live up to their parents’ and grandparents’ norms, even if those expectations really aren’t relevant anymore. They were born into a very different world than the one their parents knew, and navigate it in a very different way:

• They’re getting married on an average of seven years later than their parents.
• the age women first give birth has consistently risen over the past 40 years.
• They are, on average, better educated than previous generations.
• They’re entering the workforce later, so they start saving for homes later

As it turns out, these all-important deadlines are often arbitrary, and the pressure to achieve them sometimes comes from amorphous, unidentifiable places. They also aren’t as set in stone as they may seem.

From generation to generation, changes in technology and the econ...