What Is A Reason for Generation Gap?
What Is A Reason
for Generation Gap?
Change is inevitable. Change of a generation
is also inevitable. However, the pandemic & lockdowns & stay at home
has fast tracked and magnified the generation gap significantly.
What could be the reasons for
generation gap?
Firstly, most parents spend too little time communicating with and
listening to their children, even though they love them very much. This is due
to their heavy workload and inevitable stress faced at the workplace. Parents may not be well aware of what difficulties their children are facing.
Secondly, parents may want absolute control
over their children. Accordingly, parents have a lot of concern for their
children’s academic performance at school instead of paying attention to their
favourite interests and hobbies. They seem to be little birds trapped in a very
small cage. As a result, children always believe that their parents are against
their opinions all the time.
They try to keep everything secretive and do not tell their parents when they
encounter any problems.
Thirdly,
there is a vast difference in the
behavioural patterns adopted by the
two generations and in certain families three generations. Most parents put up a straight face and do not show
their feelings when they talk to their children. Furthermore, they scold their
children frequently or even give them physical punishment. Children believe
that they are grown-ups, and it is high time for them to be independent. This
helps them to gain more self-esteem. Therefore,
both parents and children do not see things from the standpoints of each
other. This results in misunderstandings and is the root cause for the creation
of generation gap.
Here are a few tips to help bridge the generation gap between parents and their children:
1. Keep an Open Mind
With the change in society and
globalisation, things have changed. Values have changed as well as norms have
changed. The way that kids think is different from how parents do. Keeping an
open mind and not assuming that they must be just like you were at their age is
very important. It is also important
to understand the child’s perspective. It’s true for all the generations
2. Communicate
Taking out time to communicate with your kids without bias, is very important. The
simple act of talking about each other’s daily activities at the end of the day, can help you get to know better and make it easier to speak
freely with each other. Children
need to feel comfortable to approach
their parents with anything. This in
turn will give parents peace of mind, since they do not need to worry
about their children hiding things that could
be really important. Having a parent who listens as well, instead of
only talks and lectures, will give your child more encouragement to listen to
you in return.
3. Unconditional Love
Love has a way of crossing boundaries
and bringing people together if shown
the right way. So, show your children how much you love them. This
unconditional love and support that they get from you is very encouraging and
makes children more inclined to reciprocate that same love and understanding
back.
4. Compromise
People can disagree on things, no
matter how close to each other they are. Grand Parents, Parents and children
are no different; however, rather than forcing them into your way of thinking
or forcing them to do what you want them to do, especially when they do not want to, learn to compromise when
possible. There are times when you have to put your foot down with your
children, but sometimes coming
to a compromise instead of dictating their every move will bring them closer to you and make that
generation gap a little smaller.
Remember that it is important to understand that they have their own thoughts and opinions too and being patient and loving will help significantly in closing the generation gap.
Dr. Mona Shah
Occupational Therapist, Clinical
Psychologist.
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