Thursday, October 22, 2015

Parenting in the New Millennium

https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/millennials-cover.jpg?quality=75&strip=color&w=840
Last week's Time Magazine cover story was on millennials becoming parents.  Of course, it's impossible to overgeneralize across an entire generation.  Nevertheless, it is interesting to probe into the consequences of a few reasonably accurate truths:

1. Millennials' schedules were regimented by their helicopter parents, so they in turn are just as present but more inclined to give their kids a say in what to do.

2. Millennials' unprecedented access to information has them stressing over every little decision and feeling guilty when they compromise instead of doing what they know is better.

3. Millennials growing up as digital natives has made their children's lives a 24/7 documentary, but not necessarily of their actual lives but rather a carefully curated one, to conform with what they see from their friends' social media feeds.

We all think our parenting philosophies emerge from our deeply held core values, and they are.  But those philosophies and values cannot help but be shaped by those we observed during our own childhoods and those we follow of our contemporaries.  How profound is the effect - on our kids' lives and our own - of whether and how we choose to be influenced.  Be aware!


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