By Davood Peer
Generation Gap is a term given to the gap or age difference between two sets of people; the young people and their elders, especially between children and their parents. Everything is influenced with the change of time- the age, the culture, mannerism and morality. This change affects everyone. Generation gap is an endless social phenomenon. Every generation lives at a certain time under certain circumstances and conditions. So, all generations have their own set of values and views. Every generation wants to uphold the principles they believe in. This is a problem that has continued for ages.
Age is one big reason for the natural gap between generations. However, the major issue arrives due to the mental gap in terms of thinking pattern & current trends. 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. On the whole, both parents and their children do not see things from the standpoints of each other. Thus, misunderstanding is a great cause for the formation of the generation gap. They talk about some issues that can cause tension between teenagers and parents: homework, sibling fights, boundaries and trust. Some teenagers feel their parents need to show more trust and give them more independence, but they also know that parents are mostly just concerned for their safety. Technical ability is also important. How technology affects the generation gap is impacted by how well older people can learn and use new technology. This tends to be written by Millennials for the younger generation, so many older people can become left behind when things move too fast. The ages between parents and their children are often large enough that they experienced their most impressionable years during a different culture than each other. Adolescence is often the time when people are most influenced by the society around them and as our world keeps developing and changing, things rarely stay the same, causing generation gaps between parents and their children.
To help bridge the generation gap between parents and their children. Keep An Open Mind , the way that kids think is different from how parents do. Parents often feel like because they have already been the age their child is currently, that they understand how their child thinks. The truth is, the world and way of life were different then than it is now and their mind-set will be very different and can also be shocking for some parents. This is why keeping an open mind and not assuming that they must be just like you were at their age is very important. You must also understand that there are some things that are acceptable in society and therefore acceptable to your child that may not have been acceptable when you were the same age. It is especially in those areas where parents need to try and keep an open mind so they can better understand their children. Making the time to communicate with your kids every day is very important. The simple act of talking about each other’s day at the end of the day can help you get to know each other and make it easier to speak freely around the other. Children need to know they can approach their parents with anything, something that can ultimately give parents peace of mind since they do not need to worry about their children hiding things that are important. With listening comes understanding and this means that you have to learn to put yourself in your child’s shoes and trying to understand how they feel and what they want from what they tell you. If you are able to understand where your child is coming from, you will be able to close that generation gap to some extent .
The human race is constantly evolving and hence there is a change in the ideologies of people belonging to different generations. While it is completely alright to have an opinion different from the other however it should never turn into a cause of conflict.
Davood Peer is a student activist associated with Jammu and Kashmir Students Association.
