The millennials or Gen Z children are called techies generation. Their thoughts are wired through ions and behaviors are circuit connections only. Identifying their connection strings for each function and thought process is a medical miracle only. They believe living with a gadget for 24 hours is a life; think making easy money is a smart money; feels questioning the basics is a skill; mark their credentials by having virtual friends and social media likes; enhance network by playing online games; work for a day and rest for a week and life is sincerely dedicated for mobiles and media. They treat other generations as aliens and they are defaulters of using technology and making virtual friends.
Gen X and Gen Z treat each other differently. They both firmly believe that they are the generations from other planets not having synchronized thoughts and behaviors. Most of the parents belong to Gen X and treat their children very much different and expect them to behave differently. Their way of upbringing a child is highly demanding and over protecting to the core. They never let them do any basic works, spoon-feed everything, earn and spend for their luxurious living, serve and pamper them all the time. They make them focus only on education and marks. More pathetically, they never allow them to think and act on their needs and wants. Everything is provided than needed. Then expect them to behave well in their adolescence and early adulthood. Such ironical thoughts and behaviors are real problems for both generations.
The responsibility of a parent is to provide the necessities for a child and educate them to value a person and life. Expressing love and affection is always welcome not pampering. Parents need to understand the thin line difference between love and pamper. Most of the time, the lines are over crossed and hardly been realized. Love is to express through hugs, spend quality time, make them understand the reality of life, an opportunity to make mistakes, explore new avenues, and make them do their work, help others and do basic works at home. Teach them to do the basic repairing works, reuse the materials and realize the value of money, helping the needy, supporting the family and socially responsible. They see the problem as an opportunity and enjoy life in whatever they do.
The pampered children are spoiled broth. They throw tantrums, hardly respect parents and others, and never take any responsibility and accountability for their actions, unpleasant behaviors, value materialistic things, addicted to gadgets and drugs, feel low about self, refuse to go to school, lack confident, hardly interact with people and find fault with everything. When their demands are rejected or postponed they become very arrogant and adamant towards their parents. They lack empathy and couldn’t understand the value of their parents and well-wishers. They understand the language of self and self only. The saddening aspect is that neither they are successful by self nor have the habit of listening to their parents. Such a poor state of growing deteriorates their personal and professional growth.
Eventually, they feel the whole world is negative and worthless of living.
The responsible child and irresponsible child are raised by both parents only. It is the approach of parents that needs to be changed to change the behavior of a child. Each parent needs to be accountable for their child’s upbringing. They have to give their complete love and affection to their children by making them realize the value of people, culture, tradition, money, character and behavior. The responsible child becomes a responsible citizen.
The research says that the children who are been given proper upbringing are grown-up responsibly, help others in growing, confident of themselves, take proper decisions and face challenges in life. They live happily and bring happiness to other’s life too.
It’s time for parents to rethink and rewire their upbringing pattern to engage them productively.
Replace gadgets with games and sports; make them think reasonably, develop basic skills to repair and rework, focus more on life skills than the academic score, build people network through social activities and play dramas and skits to energize the team.
Replace technology addiction with their passion and perseverance to achieve their dreams in life.
—Chellam Narendiran
