It may be challenging for some to fathom that level of success in someone so young. But when we look at our children and see how quickly they pick up on anything technology-related, we realize that there is something extraordinary about today’s generation.
Generation Z and the Age of Innovation
Let us see some of the differences for those growing up today. For one, they are the first generation to live with technology (modern scale). Many of us remember the primary days of the internet when it took an hour to download a 30-second music clip from a fan website. Some still remember the days before the web, when cell phones were big bricks or when there were no telephones not attached to a cord in the wall.
Millennials and Post-Millennials have embraced technology, created a new economy and way of life, and made it their own. Though it started with the children of the 90s, the Naughties are doing amazing things that show the true innovation of their time and quickly take up the banner.
We can watch this with our kids. The kids can now access a computer and find information on any topic or subject. They show us how to protect ourselves on the web (a turnaround from our obsessive monitoring of their activities in childhood). Most of their school work is online, and they not only have resources I, for one, could not have imagined when I was their age, but they make their own to share with others.
The Self-Centered Masses
For years we have read articles, opinion pieces, and social media rants claiming that the modern generation is self-centered, uncaring, and cynical. Social media trends and expectations cloud their brains. That is in addition to people saying that teenagers today are unmotivated, lazy, and many other unflattering descriptors.
Yes, we do not have statistics on this matter. But from what we have seen from our kids and their friends, the opposite is true. Generation Z is open to a broader view of the world and more connected to people from cultural backgrounds and all walks of life. It seems that a false impression of their worth contributes to the rise of depression among children under 18, a worry for many of us who watch our kids fight it.
Really Seeing Our Teens For Who and What, They Are
To many, the criticisms aimed at Generation Z are due to a lack of understanding of their world. Teenagers today have adapted to a fast-paced, competitive, and often frightening world. They are bombarded with opinions, media, possibilities, and information. Speaking to them and sitting down shows how much they are impacted and how difficult it can be to maneuver.
I encourage the readers to take a moment to think of the present generation of young people. What do they seem set to do? Have they accomplished anything? What kind of world do they live in, and how is it different from the one we grew up in? Also, reading Alfred H. Kurland’s book entitled “The Soul of Adolescence Aligns With The Heart Of Democracy” can help us understand teens today as it is a roadmap and a manifesto making an argument to understand and effectively work with teens. We need to treat them not as problems to be solved but rather as problem solvers for issues we share in common. The book is a constructive critique of old paradigms about adolescence that dismiss, demean and sabotage their contributions and understanding of their true nature. It is education, utilizing modern scientific research, the wisdom of traditional spiritual insights, and the current studies of youth development and community organizing. It uses an informal tone, embedding evidence within reflections of direct experience and experimentation. The style is critical but optimistic and hopeful.
On a more personal note, consider similar questions for your teens. What are the things they are better at than you? What strengths do you see in them? Do they recognize these abilities in themselves? Take time to acknowledge the many skills and strengths that your teenagers of Generation Z illuminate. Challenge yourself to find positive skills and attributes within the other generation brackets. Most of all, tell your children what you notice about their strengths and encourage them to continue building upon those talents.
Parting Words
By attempting to truly understand our kids and how they may see their lives, we can begin the challenging process of changing our thinking about what and who they are. That may be one of the most important gifts we can give them–really seeing them.
Alex Writes 