Mark McCrindle suggest that parents trying to be mates with their Gen Y kids is one of the primary sources of problems for that generation.
My own reflections over the last few years had me resonating strongly with this. Parents who won’t ‘parent’ because their kids might dislike them are on the increase and its to the detriment of their kids and the broader society.
Fact is – there aren’t many teens who need more friends but their are plenty who really do need good parents.
Here’s an excerpt from McCrindle’s article in The Age
Generation Y has been shaped in an environment of more permissive parenting where their parents have given them more freedom younger, and for many, parents have morphed into ”peerants”. The lack of boundaries and a failure to emphasise personal responsibility has created a context where there are choices without an understanding of consequences. Far from instilling independence and maturity, too much freedom too early creates a ”safety net syndrome” where young adults are less likely to worry about the risks of their behaviour.
As a parent I am always yelling at my kid to take responsibility… and that actions have consequences … maybe their is hope ahead. 🙂
This is huge for me! I reckon the majority of my clients are my clients because they were exposed to adult freedoms (ie, cigarettes, dope, alcohol, M-rated movies & games, Cleo etc mags) when they were still kids.
It meant that in order to ‘bust out’ when they were older, the ciggie behind the shed, the one-off drunken party and the naughty mags at your mates place simply weren’t enough… so they busted out harder, and ended up in the justice system!
Parents – do your kids a favour, and say ‘no’ once in a while!
It’s good for them, and cathartic for you!!
🙂
Toddy,
My parents were very strict – I went off the rails when I turned 18 and found myself 1600 km’s away from home working – particualrly wrt to the booze and girls.
I was about 22-24 when I ended up getting into ‘religion’ and then got burned out.