When I became a parent for the first time, my father said something to me that really stuck. He told me, “Every generation is perfectly equipped to raise a child from their own generation.”
He went on to explain that the world changes so quickly, and things are so different “now” that parents can feel ill-equipped to raise their own children – simply because their frames of reference have shifted.
My parents had no idea what to do about video games. They didn’t have any idea what the current drug culture was, or how it affected us at school other than what they saw on the news. They knew how things were when they were kids, and were ready to help us navigate that world – but that world no longer existed.
I have to admit that sometimes I have some of the same worries as my own father. I look back at my own childhood and feel very prepared to address a lot of the issues that I had to confront. In fact, sometimes I am guilty of trying to force my children to endure things from my past that don’t really apply anymore.
Saturday morning cartoons, for example, are a staple of my growing up years, but don’t have a place in this age of DVRs, Netflix, and On- Demand everything. How can I possibly know what to do in a world where my children have access to anything they want, whenever they want it? What happens when they get older and ask for cell phones? Laptops? Hoverboards? How can I possibly know how to parent when all of my knowledge is relevant only to the wrong generation?
Do you have any of those fears? Have you ever felt that you were in over your head as your children wandered into unfamiliar territory? Because if you have, then here is some good news: The human experience is universal.
Yes, there are variations, but there is a reason that we still enjoy Shakespeare. As much as culture and technology have changed over the centuries, human beings really haven’t. There will always be bullies, whether they come equipped with swords, fists, or iPhones. There will always be people who feel left out, and feel like no one “gets” them.