Parenting in a changing world: A young adult's take.

My initial decision was to veer off this topic. It pressed a few buttons and made me ponder a bit over something. And then, I read some posts under it and I felt like I had something 5 stars to talk about or contribute to its cause, only to come to the conclusion of being biased. Probably because I'm still a young adult or something.

I'll hit the nail on the head and say yes, the current parenting isn't so good or five stars but I don't think it ever was. Right now, most people are using the way teenagers dress and behave to come after their parents. And in all honesty, 7 out of 10, it's not their parents fault. Whether you like to hear/ read this or not; you can't control a child from what they've set their minds on. You can only influence them a little and let me tell you, that the way you try to influence them matters. It matters a whole lot. Peer pressure is a thing and at this moment when a child transforms to a teenager or adult, all that matters is the child's point of view of the world and what the child wants for themselves, because he/ she will be bombarded with it so much; at one point they'll be left confused and clueless on who they are.

The first thing I think good parenting should be about is helping their child find out who they really are. In the terms of what they want for their life, who they choose to be and whatnot. And not trying to control the lives of their children. Doing this, you're just setting yourself up for disaster, no offense guys if that came out as crass. And secondly, not everyone is perfect. You expecting the whole world from your child or wanting them to follow in your path is downright delusional and can be really annoying. The world is evolving, you ought to grow with it, if not you'd be left behind.

Speaking of societal changes; I was reading a post some days back about this same prompt and I came across the increase in teenage pregnancy. Honestly,I have nothing to say about this and the little things I want to attempt to say might be wrong so please don't come after my head. Like I said, I'm just a young adult trying to give my opinion because apparently, I have freedom of speech and freewill.

What I think about this is... I think the society is more open now, tolerable is what I'd call it. Then, I don't think anyone had the complete guts to admit to teenage pregnancy, they'd rather make use of hangers and whatnot. So, I hope you see what I'm trying to say. Parenting is usually by grace and probably the kind of kid you produce and maybe a little influence here or there. But I'd tell you, physical discipline is not the right way to go. Actually, it might be one of the worst things man, literally. Again, you don't know what you're doing to yourself on a long run. I think parenting is just about getting to know your child and ensure the child is willing and happy to have you in their life the older they get. Because becoming a teenager comes with a lot of baggage. All those stored up rage, hormonal changes, annoyance and the feeling to be left alone, yeah they're not that at all. But most parents back then, didn't understand this. They took it that "oh this child is growing wings. I better clip them before they fly to far" and then comes the emotional, physical and spoken abuse.

Parenting as a whole is not an easy job, so the idea of comparing todays parenting to the previous age' parenting doesn't sit right with me. Let's not begin with the complaints I've been seeing of parents dressing up their kids to be way older than they actually are. I have nothing to say about this. No argument, nothing to go against and support it. So I'll just leave it as it is and read whatever the actual adults have to say about it. And like I said earlier and before, the world is evolving. Grow with it.

I’m not a parent, and I won’t pretend to know what it’s like. But I do know what it feels like to grow up in today’s world—and I think that matters too. Because if the world keeps evolving, maybe what we all need—parents, teens, and everyone in between—is a little more understanding and a willingness to grow together.

Cover image generated using ChatGPT

Thanks for reading.

Posted Using INLEO