There is a secret I have been keeping from you. I attribute it to the lot my parents cast by placing me squarely into the millennial generation. (Well, old millennial, anyway. Some days, when my kids push my buttons, ancient.)Do you want to know what it is?
I don't have any more of a clue how to parent than you did when you were my age. I'm simply making it up as I go along, relying on the best book I've found to provide my children with a moral framework and a lot of friends and family who successfully raised young people before me.
Sure, parenting in the 21st century presents plenty of challenges. You can see and hear an abundance of bad stuff at every turn. The technology and privilege of American life provide unlimited access to all kinds of vices.
But despite the fact that common sense isn't common, as one of my friends likes to say, there are still plenty of parents earnestly trying to do right by their children. They are raising them to be other-centric, hard-working, disciplined, creative, bold, compassionate and innovative. Like me, they believe you can't be a conscientious parent and a passive observer at the same time.
Stepping into the fray and staying there is a necessary prerequisite of modern parenting. This is true for all families, including blended ones that face all kinds of questions about what it means to love one another when we come from different backgrounds.
If you, like me, are a know-nothing millennial parent, I hope you'll take a moment to share this post or post a comment below. We need to stick together, in our ignorance, for our children. Maybe if we put enough of our minds together, they'll turn out OK.
Comments
I think each generation of parents should always remember that the things that they did when they were young and were accepted or forbidden are very very different than those today. Kids today have a huge view of the world, learn in a completely different manner than kids just ten years younger. They are more aware of international situations and have so much knowledge at their finger tips. Older folks are amazed at how quickly little people communicate today. Children of yesterday were directed, protected and nourished . As a great great grandmother I see endless advancements in how intelligent and verbal children become in today's world. I also see how the new methods of caring for an infant give mothers time for other activities. No endless ironing, laundry , formulas to prepare. But with everything new, letting those people you love and cherish have stability and quality time will go a long way toward creating a well balanced contributing adult.
Yes...a " how to" booklet certainly would be handy.