Millennial parents have revealed some of the things they are making sure to teach their kids after not being taught them themselves when they were children.
Millennials have completely rewritten the parenting rule book. After popularising gentle parenting and other new parenting styles that focus on softer approaches, the generation believes that their approach to parenting is ‘better’ than previous generations’ - and whose to say they're wrong?
Millennials have long been vocal about their own childhoods and the impact their own experiences have had on their parenting style today. And, from opening up about what they wish their parents had done differently while they were growing up to sharing the biggest differences between their children's lives vs how they grew up, it's clear their approach is massively different to their own parents'.
Another way this difference is manifesting is in the life lessons millennial parents are aiming to teach their kids. While there are the obvious parenting rules that millennials rely on to keep their kids' behaviour in check, there are also the rules that help parents instil happiness and moral values in their kids to make sure they grow up into successful, well-rounded human beings.
Millennial parents and parenting experts Caitlin Slavens and Chelsea Bodie have shed some light on those lessons they're trying to teach their kids - and they're great reminders for anyone, no matter their age.
- "It's ok if not everyone likes you or is friends with you. You don't have to like or be friends with everyone. How I wish someone told me that it's ok if not everyone liked me."
- "That they don't have to finish all the food off their plate. This helps them learn their own internal signals around hunger and fullness."
- "That they deserve to be treated with kindness and respect."
- "It is ok to cry. It doesn't mean you're weak."
- "It's not your job to make everyone happy. That's their job!"
- "You don't have to agree with everyone. You can have your own ideas."
The experts' opinions prompted their Instagram followers to share further lessons they're teaching their own kids too. One wrote, "It's absolutely OK to take up space," while another added, "It’s ok to question an adult! It’s not disrespectful if you are trying to understand why."
Millennials have been in the news a lot recently, for both parenting and non-parenting reasons. In good news, the generation is set to become the richest generation in history though their time is currently taken up by begging their own parents to keep their anxieties under control so as not to pass them on to younger generations. If a grandparent's anxiety is affecting your child, there are plenty of gratitude journals, positivity planners and activity books for teaching kids to process their emotions and manage anxieties.
