It’s a crazy world out there and it seems it’s becoming only crazier and crazier by the day, and kids are not exempt from this trend that looks like a step back for humanity as a whole.
While it’s certain that you can’t compare previous with current generations, the problem is, today’s children look like they were never given the chance to learn of the values that make life for what it is.
I won’t say that parents don’t know how to parent, but there is surely this sharp division between strict parents with high expectations and those so lenient that their children dictate the way they will be brought up.
And in both extremes, things aren’t looking well at all. What you get are people who are either ready to trample over anybody to achieve the idea of success their parents have implemented in their heads or those who think that they are entitled to everything this world has to offer – because they wished for it.
In either case, the sense of respect, empathy, and dedication is all but lost somewhere behind the minds forged by parents who tend to live out their dreams through their children.
In truth, we are evolving both technologically and mentally, and it’s natural that the false perceptions of reality will evolve as well – so, don’t think that similar illusions weren’t placed in front of the eyes of previous generations.
In fact, what we are battling against today was nurtured in the minds of the people long ago, and what we’ll be facing tomorrow is what we nurture in the minds of the kids today.
However, one cannot but try and stand against this notion that the minds of today’s children are distorted into something that humanity will pay for dearly in the future.
We have children who are afraid of their parents and intimidated by their expectations on one side, and we have children who treat their parents as wishing wells that always make the wishes come true on the other.
I can’t help but notice how these children are rarely taught of accepting and facing their emotions in a healthy way, of developing empathy and understanding for others, and of showing a sense of respect for those who aren’t them.
What they are taught, though, is that they’re entitled to getting whatever they want, that success comes at the price of crafty manipulation and disregard of those caught in the game, and of a genuine lack of bonding that we all need to experience.
And the worst part of all is that they rarely learn what respect even means. Not only toward other people, but also to oneself. They never learn what boundaries mean, and they end up handicapped in a world that looks for people with healthy core values and a will to put effort on their part.
Today’s parents may not have liked the way they were brought up (with restrictions, rules, and chores) and now they are doing the complete opposite to their children. But here’s the thing: being a parent is a thankless job – so it’s best that you work on helping your child to become better than you, not ‘more satisfied’ than you.
Weaving illusions for your children (when you are aware that it’s not how the world works) will handicap them for life. If you truly want them to become who they’re meant to be in their lives, stop being the ‘best wishing-machines’ or the ‘iron-fist rulers’ and start taking the middle approach.
In the end, you don’t want them to turn into resentful adults who are incapable of taking life by the reins.
