Generation 'X' was the yuppie generation of the 90s after the hippie generation of the 70s. Generation 'M' are the Millennials. These are people born in the late part of the 20th century and in the 21st century are becoming the millennium kids or teens. These children are born on IPads and are more of a digital generation who can whatsapp before they speak and who can download before they can walk. The continuous struggle of parents who belong to Generation 'X' to deal with Generation 'M' is a challenge that parents are finding more and more elusive and exhausting. Being used to top down parenting where the parents pretty much decided the clothes they will wear, the school they will attend, the grades they should get, the friends they should make and the careers they should adopt, they are absolutely stunned at how this generation will have none of this.
The Millennials are ambitious and fame obsessed. They have a high need for achievement and would love to become celebrities. However all this they want to achieve in a quick fix. They have seen the power of social media to create overnight sensations and many aspire to get fast forward success. They are also more self-obsessed and materialistic as the world of shopping is a click away. They can roam around the world on their phones and see every shop and product, try it and change their look to suit it and then take unlimited selfies to choose their own look. This self-obsession and exploration of the highway has firstly made them extremely aware and two made them extremely ambitious. They also want to express their own identity and personality more. They will join chat groups and give opinions, argue endlessly and insist on being different. They demand non-conformance from norms and want to pursue their passions even if it means taking on parents and family traditions.
This generation is giving headaches to parents who themselves bestow all the gadgets in the world to them and then complain about how tech addicted they are. Parenting millennials requires a completely different mindset and approach. Here are some tips on managing better relationship with this digital generation.
-Expect the unexpected: Parents have to manage their expectations before they manage their children's expectation. They must stop comparing their children to themselves and feeling resentful over this "thankless" generation. Times and environment has changed and as parents they should not expect children who are products of different eras to behave as they did. Stop lecturing them on how obedient you were and how disobedient they are. Nothing puts off millennials more than being told they are inferior to their parents. Start enjoying the difference and appreciating those that teach you new things about this era. Once you enjoy them they will connect to you more than their smartphones.
-Listen more: The time pressed working parents of today are always in a hurry and thus to make children get off their backs they let them become gadget freaks as early as a one year old. To open communication channels take an interest in their interests. Ask them about what they love and then listen to their interests without criticizing them. Once they feel accepted for what they are they will also take an interest in your interests.
-Focus on values not on just grades: While the pressure to get good grades is high and parents are pushing children to get grades the importance of inculcating values is equally important. With a very material approach to life and a desire to compete in the latest brand race it is important that parents must demonstrate the core values that they want their children to follow. They have to imbue the values of patience in them as the temptation for short cuts is very high. If the parents are demonstrating patience themselves only then they should expect patience from their children.
Generation 'X' was the yuppie generation of the 90s after the hippie generation of the 70s. Generation 'M' are the Millennials. These are people born in the late part of the 20th century and in the 21st century are becoming the millennium kids or teens. These children are born on IPads and are more of a digital generation who can whatsapp before they speak and who can download before they can walk. The continuous struggle of parents who belong to Generation 'X' to deal with Generation 'M' is a challenge that parents are finding more and more elusive and exhausting. Being used to top down parenting where the parents pretty much decided the clothes they will wear, the school they will attend, the grades they should get, the friends they should make and the careers they should adopt, they are absolutely stunned at how this generation will have none of this.
The Millennials are ambitious and fame obsessed. They have a high need for achievement and would love to become celebrities. However all this they want to achieve in a quick fix. They have seen the power of social media to create overnight sensations and many aspire to get fast forward success. They are also more self-obsessed and materialistic as the world of shopping is a click away. They can roam around the world on their phones and see every shop and product, try it and change their look to suit it and then take unlimited selfies to choose their own look. This self-obsession and exploration of the highway has firstly made them extremely aware and two made them extremely ambitious. They also want to express their own identity and personality more. They will join chat groups and give opinions, argue endlessly and insist on being different. They demand non-conformance from norms and want to pursue their passions even if it means taking on parents and family traditions.
This generation is giving headaches to parents who themselves bestow all the gadgets in the world to them and then complain about how tech addicted they are. Parenting millennials requires a completely different mindset and approach. Here are some tips on managing better relationship with this digital generation.
-Expect the unexpected: Parents have to manage their expectations before they manage their children's expectation. They must stop comparing their children to themselves and feeling resentful over this "thankless" generation. Times and environment has changed and as parents they should not expect children who are products of different eras to behave as they did. Stop lecturing them on how obedient you were and how disobedient they are. Nothing puts off millennials more than being told they are inferior to their parents. Start enjoying the difference and appreciating those that teach you new things about this era. Once you enjoy them they will connect to you more than their smartphones.
-Listen more: The time pressed working parents of today are always in a hurry and thus to make children get off their backs they let them become gadget freaks as early as a one year old. To open communication channels take an interest in their interests. Ask them about what they love and then listen to their interests without criticizing them. Once they feel accepted for what they are they will also take an interest in your interests.
Generation 'X' was the yuppie generation of the 90s after the hippie generation of the 70s. Generation 'M' are the Millennials. These are people born in the late part of the 20th century and in the 21st century are becoming the millennium kids or teens. These children are born on IPads and are more of a digital generation who can whatsapp before they speak and who can download before they can walk. The continuous struggle of parents who belong to Generation 'X' to deal with Generation 'M' is a challenge that parents are finding more and more elusive and exhausting. Being used to top down parenting where the parents pretty much decided the clothes they will wear, the school they will attend, the grades they should get, the friends they should make and the careers they should adopt, they are absolutely stunned at how this generation will have none of this.
The Millennials are ambitious and fame obsessed. They have a high need for achievement and would love to become celebrities. However all this they want to achieve in a quick fix. They have seen the power of social media to create overnight sensations and many aspire to get fast forward success. They are also more self-obsessed and materialistic as the world of shopping is a click away. They can roam around the world on their phones and see every shop and product, try it and change their look to suit it and then take unlimited selfies to choose their own look. This self-obsession and exploration of the highway has firstly made them extremely aware and two made them extremely ambitious. They also want to express their own identity and personality more. They will join chat groups and give opinions, argue endlessly and insist on being different. They demand non-conformance from norms and want to pursue their passions even if it means taking on parents and family traditions.
This generation is giving headaches to parents who themselves bestow all the gadgets in the world to them and then complain about how tech addicted they are. Parenting millennials requires a completely different mindset and approach. Here are some tips on managing better relationship with this digital generation.
-Expect the unexpected: Parents have to manage their expectations before they manage their children's expectation. They must stop comparing their children to themselves and feeling resentful over this "thankless" generation. Times and environment has changed and as parents they should not expect children who are products of different eras to behave as they did. Stop lecturing them on how obedient you were and how disobedient they are. Nothing puts off millennials more than being told they are inferior to their parents. Start enjoying the difference and appreciating those that teach you new things about this era. Once you enjoy them they will connect to you more than their smartphones.
-Listen more: The time pressed working parents of today are always in a hurry and thus to make children get off their backs they let them become gadget freaks as early as a one year old. To open communication channels take an interest in their interests. Ask them about what they love and then listen to their interests without criticizing them. Once they feel accepted for what they are they will also take an interest in your interests.
-Focus on values not on just grades: While the pressure to get good grades is high and parents are pushing children to get grades the importance of inculcating values is equally important. With a very material approach to life and a desire to compete in the latest brand race it is important that parents must demonstrate the core values that they want their children to follow. They have to imbue the values of patience in them as the temptation for short cuts is very high. If the parents are demonstrating patience themselves only then they should expect patience from their children.
-Accept technology as an aid: Don't try to make technology a competitor and try to ban its use. Give guidelines and then learn its basic use to remain connected to children and also to let the children teach you how to become more comfortable with its usage.
-Help them follow their passion: Children are unique and you cannot slot them into boxes that are not relevant to their talent. Millenniums may not know what they want. As parents we must help them discover and follow their passion. Talk to their school teachers and encourage them to talk to you about what they want to do in their future.
-Treat him/her as an adult: Even if they are children they are from the information age and hate to be told off. You need to treat them with respect and discuss all matters as if they are of your own age. This reassures them and gives them the motivation to act and be responsible as well.
Parenting was never easy and with social influences pouring from everywhere it is a tough task to be patient, loving yet disciplined parents. However if you can adjust to the changing nature of the kids in this world of ever changing environment you can enjoy the type of relationship with the millennials that has the best combination of being a friend, a mentor and a coach.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com) Generation 'X' was the yuppie generation of the 90s after the hippie generation of the 70s. Generation 'M' are the Millennials. These are people born in the late part of the 20th century and in the 21st century are becoming the millennium kids or teens. These children are born on IPads and are more of a digital generation who can whatsapp before they speak and who can download before they can walk. The continuous struggle of parents who belong to Generation 'X' to deal with Generation 'M' is a challenge that parents are finding more and more elusive and exhausting. Being used to top down parenting where the parents pretty much decided the clothes they will wear, the school they will attend, the grades they should get, the friends they should make and the careers they should adopt, they are absolutely stunned at how this generation will have none of this.
The Millennials are ambitious and fame obsessed. They have a high need for achievement and would love to become celebrities. However all this they want to achieve in a quick fix. They have seen the power of social media to create overnight sensations and many aspire to get fast forward success. They are also more self-obsessed and materialistic as the world of shopping is a click away. They can roam around the world on their phones and see every shop and product, try it and change their look to suit it and then take unlimited selfies to choose their own look. This self-obsession and exploration of the highway has firstly made them extremely aware and two made them extremely ambitious. They also want to express their own identity and personality more. They will join chat groups and give opinions, argue endlessly and insist on being different. They demand non-conformance from norms and want to pursue their passions even if it means taking on parents and family traditions.
This generation is giving headaches to parents who themselves bestow all the gadgets in the world to them and then complain about how tech addicted they are. Parenting millennials requires a completely different mindset and approach. Here are some tips on managing better relationship with this digital generation.
-Expect the unexpected: Parents have to manage their expectations before they manage their children's expectation. They must stop comparing their children to themselves and feeling resentful over this "thankless" generation. Times and environment has changed and as parents they should not expect children who are products of different eras to behave as they did. Stop lecturing them on how obedient you were and how disobedient they are. Nothing puts off millennials more than being told they are inferior to their parents. Start enjoying the difference and appreciating those that teach you new things about this era. Once you enjoy them they will connect to you more than their smartphones.
-Listen more: The time pressed working parents of today are always in a hurry and thus to make children get off their backs they let them become gadget freaks as early as a one year old. To open communication channels take an interest in their interests. Ask them about what they love and then listen to their interests without criticizing them. Once they feel accepted for what they are they will also take an interest in your interests.
-Focus on values not on just grades: While the pressure to get good grades is high and parents are pushing children to get grades the importance of inculcating values is equally important. With a very material approach to life and a desire to compete in the latest brand race it is important that parents must demonstrate the core values that they want their children to follow. They have to imbue the values of patience in them as the temptation for short cuts is very high. If the parents are demonstrating patience themselves only then they should expect patience from their children.
-Accept technology as an aid: Don't try to make technology a competitor and try to ban its use. Give guidelines and then learn its basic use to remain connected to children and also to let the children teach you how to become more comfortable with its usage.
-Help them follow their passion: Children are unique and you cannot slot them into boxes that are not relevant to their talent. Millenniums may not know what they want. As parents we must help them discover and follow their passion. Talk to their school teachers and encourage them to talk to you about what they want to do in their future.
-Treat him/her as an adult: Even if they are children they are from the information age and hate to be told off. You need to treat them with respect and discuss all matters as if they are of your own age. This reassures them and gives them the motivation to act and be responsible as well.
Parenting was never easy and with social influences pouring from everywhere it is a tough task to be patient, loving yet disciplined parents. However if you can adjust to the changing nature of the kids in this world of ever changing environment you can enjoy the type of relationship with the millennials that has the best combination of being a friend, a mentor and a coach.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com)-Focus on values not on just grades: While the pressure to get good grades is high and parents are pushing children to get grades the importance of inculcating values is equally important. With a very material approach to life and a desire to compete in the latest brand race it is important that parents must demonstrate the core values that they want their children to follow. They have to imbue the values of patience in them as the temptation for short cuts is very high. If the parents are demonstrating patience themselves only then they should expect patience from their children.
-Accept technology as an aid: Don't try to make technology a competitor and try to ban its use. Give guidelines and then learn its basic use to remain connected to children and also to let the children teach you how to become more comfortable with its usage.
-Help them follow their passion: Children are unique and you cannot slot them into boxes that are not relevant to their talent. Millenniums may not know what they want. As parents we must help them discover and follow their passion. Talk to their school teachers and encourage them to talk to you about what they want to do in their future.
-Treat him/her as an adult: Even if they are children they are from the information age and hate to be told off. You need to treat them with respect and discuss all matters as if they are of your own age. This reassures them and gives them the motivation to act and be responsible as well.
Parenting was never easy and with social influences pouring from everywhere it is a tough task to be patient, loving yet disciplined parents. However if you can adjust to the changing nature of the kids in this world of ever changing environment you can enjoy the type of relationship with the millennials that has the best combination of being a friend, a mentor and a coach.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com)-Accept technology as an aid: Don't try to make technology a competitor and try to ban its use. Give guidelines and then learn its basic use to remain connected to children and also to let the children teach you how to become more comfortable with its usage.
-Help them follow their passion: Children are unique and you cannot slot them into boxes that are not relevant to their talent. Millenniums may not know what they want. As parents we must help them discover and follow their passion. Talk to their school teachers and encourage them to talk to you about what they want to do in their future.
-Treat him/her as an adult: Even if they are children they are from the information age and hate to be told off. You need to treat them with respect and discuss all matters as if they are of your own age. This reassures them and gives them the motivation to act and be responsible as well.
Parenting was never easy and with social influences pouring from everywhere it is a tough task to be patient, loving yet disciplined parents. However if you can adjust to the changing nature of the kids in this world of ever changing environment you can enjoy the type of relationship with the millennials that has the best combination of being a friend, a mentor and a coach.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com)