Monday, June 18, 2012

Parents: Have Faith in Your Kids

Technology evolves every day. It's good because it introduces people to new things, but it's bad because kids give it more attention than before. Parents want their kids to have their values but technology is replacing their teaching in some ways. 

It really has to do with money and morality. The main question companies ask themselves is: "How can I make the most money? (and I don't care if it's right or not.)" Kids play into their hands because they don't know better. Kids need to listen to caution (which is usually what their parents do-because of experience) but caution is boring to kids. Kids used to do two things: 1) They listened to their parents, and 2) they did the right thing. In today's world I see a trend forming where a lot of kids do neither.

The inclination of some parents is to get rid of everything that could harm their kids. That action won't solve the problem of their kids not listening to them. I wonder why parents think their kids would increase their interaction after they eliminate the things their kids like. The fact is, today's kids live in a technological world whether their parents like it or not. It doesn't help kids when their technology is taken away and they are forced to live in a past time. I don't think parents want to knowingly handicap their kids and make them social outcasts but that's what happens when they take away what other kids have. 

One day kids are going to live in society, but if they don't know how to do normal things, then society will think they're weird. I believe parents want their children to succeed, they don't want to punish them, but they are scared. I understand this fear because when I raised kids I wanted to live in a technological world, but I also wanted my kids to listen to me. 

The positive outcome I see is parents teaching their kids as much as they can, and then BELIEVING they'll make right choices. Kids want to do right things but they also want to choose for themselves. Often, kids don't know what the right thing is. Their parents can teach them but then they need to step back and let their kids decide. When a kid makes a mistake they will eventually correct their error (because of experience) but they want to know that their parents love them no matter what they do. Every kid wants to know that their parents believe in their ability to make good decisions - they want to believe that their parents have faith in them.

It's risky for parents to trust their kids because they are so young and inexperienced. But when a kid falls flat on their face because they chose wrong, they learn and eventually think "I'm not going to make that mistake again!" It's hard (sometimes heartbreaking) for parents to watch their kids make mistakes.  Parents want to save their kids from hurting so they force their choice on kids, but kids want to choose for themselves.

Parents of the past said "you should" and made kids feel guilty.  Kids conformed because they wanted to do the right thing-at that time, the popular action. Some of today's kids hear "you should" and think "I won't." They don't want to feel guilty so they stop doing what their parents say and instead listen to their friends or strangers.

I believe that if parents want their kids in their life (without their kids holding a grudge or feeling animosity) parents will stop making their kids feel guilty and instead have faith in them.

2 comments:

McLani said...

What about when the wierd kid is doing the raising?

Jade Lovgren said...

Even a weird kid can have faith in their kids without judgement.