Time changes everything. As our kids age, a lot of changes occur from their looks to personalities to their perception. While this is happening, we as parents might see a sudden gap between us and our little ones. We as parents are unable to understand why this gap typically occurs but it’s something that is bound to happen. It is very important for us as parents to grow and learn with time. Mending this generation gap is not difficult if there is a will to do it. Here are a few ways to help bridge the generation gap between you and your little ones:
1. Keeping An Open Mind
The way our kids think is different from how we do. We often feel that just because we have been through the age our child is currently at, we understand how they think. The truth is, the world and way of life was different then and it is different now! Their mind-set will be very different and can also be surprising for some parents. This is why keeping an open mind and not assuming that they must be exactly like you were at their age is extremely important.
2. Communicating
Making the time to communicate with your children every day is very important. The act of simply talking to each other at the end of the day can help you get to know each other better and make it easier to speak freely. Children need to know they can easily approach you with anything, something that can ultimately give parents a sense of peace since they do not need to worry about their children trying to hide things that are important.
3. Listening
Parents need to allow their children time to talk without any interruption and listen to what they have to say. Learning your child’s inner thoughts and opinions makes them feel like what they feel or want matters to you, which in turn makes them feel much closer to you than ever before.
4. Understanding
With the task of listening comes understanding and this means that you have to put yourself in your child’s shoes and try to understand how they might be feeling and what they want from what they communicate with you. If you are able to understand where your child is coming from, you will always be able to close that generation gap to some extent.
5. Unconditional Love
Love has a way of crossing boundaries and bringing everyone together if acted upon. So show your little ones how much you love them. This unconditional love and support that they get from you is extremely encouraging and makes them more inclined to reciprocate the same way!
6. Compromising
People can disagree on things despite how close they are. Considering that, parents and children are no different; however, rather than pushing them into your way of thinking or making them do what you want them to do when they particularly don’t want to, learn to compromise whenever possible. There are times when you need to put your foot down with your children and that’s ok! But coming to a compromise instead of dictating their moves will make them closer to you than you think and make that generation gap a little smaller.
While there are some tips that we suggest, you can come up with your own methods that work best for you! Remember that it is important to understand that your little ones have their own thoughts and opinions and being patient and loving with them will only help close the generation gap that causes distance between parents and children!