Gen Z Son Shocked by How Often Friends Call Their Parents—'Felt Terrible'

A single Gen Z man has sparked a debate online after revealing he calls his mom multiple times every day.

In a video, Rustin Vanker, said one of his friends called his mom "only" three times a month and another called his parents once a month.

"Honestly I was a bit shocked when I heard how little my friends call their parents and it made me not really want to share how often I do," said the 19-year-old.

In the TikTok video which garnered 365,000 likes and 2.2 million views, he revealed he called his mom, Kristi Vanker, 44, two to three times a day.

"I just kind of sat there and thought oh wow... this is a bit embarrassing, " he told Newsweek. "I know that it's a bit abnormal for a guy like myself to be calling their mom as much as I do but we genuinely just have an amazing relationship and I love getting her advice on things."

According to Pew Research Center survey carried out in late 2023, some 46 percent of young adults, i.e. 18 to 34-year-olds, said they talked with their parents a few times a week, with 14 percent saying they did once a day. The survey drew results from a sample of 4,512 U.S. adults.

Vanker's friends were somewhat judgmental about how often he speaks with his parents, he explained.

In the video he said: "Are we not supposed to call our parents? Because everyone was kinda looking down on it, like you call your mom that many times?

"I was like yeah, why wouldn't you? I'm gonna get great advice, have a good time, oh man, I felt terrible about myself."

He shared that his relationship status and boredom played a part in to having constant communication and he explained that both his cousin and brother have girlfriends, meaning he does not call them as often.

"I'm so single, holy c***!" he said.

Many online shared that they did not call their parents often.

One TikTok user commented: "I have a great relationship with parents however I speak with them randomly I'll go months. Idk I have 3 kids a wife work time just passes by."

Emily Gray commented: "I don't remember the last time i called either of mine."

"I only call anyone if someone died," another user said.

But several commenters offered their support, saying they called their moms all the time too.

One user said: "Yeahhh i call my mom a good 3-10 times a day."

Another added: "I call my mom twice a day ahhahahaha not ashamed at all."

Christina said: "I call my mom 3 times a week no shame. One day a month whole day at least."

Simma said: "When I lived in a different state than my parents, my mom was begging me to get a boyfriend so I would stop calling her."

Vanker said the positive online response was extremely validating.

"It was also a bit sad to see just how many moms were commenting, wishing that their kids called more often, which was really eye opening to know that when I call it's not a burden or annoying to my parents," he said.