Parenting Then vs Now: A Shift of Balance.

Times have changed, society has changed, and the way we raise children has changed along with it. But the question is—is this change good or bad?

Not everyone can tell the story of a decade, but those of us who were children of the 90s know that we grew up in a completely different style. The parents of our time were somewhat strict, reality-based, and most importantly—their love was expressed through discipline. We understood our limits as children. Even though we had many desires, we did not dare to look into our father's eyes and ask for anything. Because, we knew how much our family could afford, how hard our parents were running the family.

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As children, there were many things that we wanted, but we knew in our hearts that they were not in our hands now. Some people might have made demands, and our parents would say, “Not now, later”—and upon hearing that, we understood our hearts. We tried to do well in studies, because we knew that this would bring a smile to our father's face.

Our teachers were our second guardians. They used to discipline us, scold us when necessary, and even gave us a spanking or two. But we knew that there was love behind this discipline. We respected and feared our teachers, and that helped shape our character.

And now? Today's children live in a different world. Technology, mobiles, tabs, smart TVs—everything is at our fingertips. Many children now stay up all night using their phones, entering the world of social media at a very young age. Parents are much more tolerant, many want to be their child's "friend", which, while good on the one hand, often creates unlimited freedom.

Many of today's children no longer tolerate discipline. They are not afraid of their parents, but on the contrary, the parents are afraid of their children—it seems that sometimes they get upset, sometimes they get angry and do something. This is creating a kind of imbalance in the family.

But of course, not all families are the same. There are still many children who are growing up like us—listening to their parents, focusing on their studies, spending time with friends, learning to sing and play, and playing sports—but the number is small.

In our time, life was balanced, with discipline on one side and freedom on the other, studies on the one side and sports, music, and conversation on the other. Our parents monitored everything, stopped it when necessary, and encouraged it.

Nowadays, there are many good aspects to the child-rearing method—understanding the mind, valuing emotions—but if there is no discipline in it, we will fail to build the society of the future.

That is why it is necessary to build a bridge between the parenting of ‘then’ and ‘now.’ Modernity will remain, but the roots cannot be lost.