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Home » generation gap

generation gap Tag

Posts tagged 'generation gap'

The Power of Bilingualism

The word Hello in multiple languages

My introduction to learning languages and bilingualism happened 24 years ago, when we moved to Texas, USA, and our daughter started to learn English. As a Special Education teacher, I knew she would be fine, but as a mother, I was scared, because at the age of 4, with the language of a 10 year old, I was afraid she would be left behind.

She wasn’t!

Since then, I have been working with inspiring people who specialize in language acquisition and with many children of migrants around the world. I have learned that parents and teachers play an important role in supporting language development. If they understand the challenges and consider the myths around language, they can help kids with healthy language acquisition.

Read The Power of Bilingualism »

March 8, 2017 by Ronit Baras In: Education / Learning, Parenting Tags: early childhood, language, generation gap, family matters, k-12 education, cultural, kids / children, education / learning, practical parenting / parents, teaching / teachers, communication

Intergenerational Program: Wisdom in the Wrinkles

Old hand holding young hand

Putting children and old people together may not seem like a good idea. What can they possibly have in common? What kind of activities can they do together?

It was a Thursday morning and several cars with elders arrived at the leadership camp I was running. I had spent the previous two days covering various aspects of leadership with my students, and this was the conclusion of our camp.

The student leaders were about to spend a day with some elders and focus on the differences and similarities between 12-year-old students and 70-85 year-old elders. I called it “Wisdom in the Wrinkles” mainly because from the kids’ perspective, there was nothing they thought they could learn from old men and women who looked wrinkly and frail.

We started the day with morning tea and played some trivia games together, which highlighted the students’ advantage with modern things and the elders’ advantage with history and general knowledge.

During a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of being young or old, it was surprising to hear a variety of thoughts. Each group consisted of 4 students and 2-3 elders and the relationships they built were solid and positive. While sharing their discussions, the kids showed a lot of respect towards the elders and the elders showed a lot of respect towards the kids. It was a good start.

Read Intergenerational Program: Wisdom in the Wrinkles »

May 24, 2016 by Ronit Baras In: Education / Learning Tags: society, story, k-12 education, video, leadership, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, education / learning, wisdom, generation gap

How to Switch Your Parenting from Preaching to Teaching

The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see - Alexander K. Trenfor

In Parenting is Teaching, not Preaching, I explained why kids resent parents who take too long to explain things and why a relationship based on lecturing your kids is not healthy and makes the kids just not listen to you.

Today, I share five tips that will make the communication and cooperation at home better for you and show you how to switch your parenting from preaching to teaching.

1. No Pink Elephants

Parents are used to telling their kids what not to do. The words “don’t”, “stop” and “no” are very common in the parenting vocabulary. Unfortunately, using them only makes the child do more of what you are trying to stop. Read Beware of Pink Elephants for more.

Rather than telling your kids what not to do, tell them what you want them to do and notice how their behavior changes dramatically.

Read How to Switch Your Parenting from Preaching to Teaching »

March 22, 2016 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting Tags: how to, listening, role model, tips, choice, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, trust, behavior / discipline, beliefs, education / learning, control, expectation, rules, emotional development, communication, generation gap, practical parenting / parents, abuse, change, values, anger, emotional intelligence, sarcasm

Parenting is Teaching, not Preaching

Boy in tree with Batman symbol on his forehead

Last week, I ran a parenting workshop and parents’ biggest frustration was “My kids don’t listen to me”. Everyone in the workshop shared this frustration whether their children were toddlers or teens. It took me some time to change the focus of the workshop from complaining about it, which is suitable for psychology or “recovery”, to thinking about what we can do about it and how to move forward, which is more suitable for coaching or “discovery”.

Going through life is like sailing a ship and being its captain (see Sailing the Ship of Life for more). When we complain, it is like dropping an anchor, and when we consider what to do about the situation, it is like raising an anchor and moving forward. Progress may be slow at first, but it is better to move than to be stuck.

Parenting is just the same.

Read Parenting is Teaching, not Preaching »

March 17, 2016 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting Tags: communication, behavior / discipline, abuse, education / learning, emotional intelligence, expectation, how to, emotional development, role model, practical parenting / parents, trust, beliefs, generation gap, change, listening, acceptance / judgment / tolerance

Complaining about the New Generation (Cont.)

Comparing between the old and new generations bring lots of grief to children today. Last week we talked about the dangers of comparing, the risks of having an old vs. new mentality. This time, I would like to offer a more even way of comparing. A perspective where the old generation, my generation, learns to appreciate what each of us has brought to the table, rater than idealizing the old way.

Try to figure out how old the grandmother is in this story.

One day, a young boy asked his grandma about her thoughts regarding changes that happened in the world since she was born. This is what she said…

Read Complaining about the New Generation (Cont.) »

May 23, 2013 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting Tags: Generation Y, attitude, grandparents, grandchildren, beliefs, kids / children, generation gap, teens / teenagers, change, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, family matters, contribution, story, expectation, interpretation, practical parenting / parents, generation X

Complaining about the New Generation

In my work with parents and teachers I hear lots of complaints about the “new generation”. Adults seem to think that “children these days are selfish, materialistic, impulsive and have no respect”. This makes me really worried. Not because kids today are like that but because the older generation, my generation, holds on to these thoughts. In life, we get what we focus on.

The rules of the self fulfilling prophecy claim that whenever you treat someone in a certain way, you will eventually make them behave like that. So, if the new generation is treated like they are disrespectful, selfish, materialist and impulsive, they will eventually be like that. In other word, you see the world through the lenses you put on. If you want to change what you see, change your lenses.

Read Complaining about the New Generation »

May 16, 2013 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting Tags: story, expectation, interpretation, practical parenting / parents, generation X, Generation Y, attitude, grandparents, grandchildren, beliefs, kids / children, generation gap, teens / teenagers, change, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, family matters, contribution

Never Mind Why

Often, particularly when things do not go our way, we ask, “Why?” Why did something happen to us, why did someone say something hurtful to us, why a friend was late, why our boss looks so upset and why life is not fair?

If you stop for a second, close your eyes and say to yourself, “Why? Why? Why?” you will quickly feel the misery creeping up on you and your energy sinking. Asking why brings you down. It is because this question is about the past, about something you did not understand and in most cases, you can never truly understand anyway.

The thing is you do not have to understand everything in order to live a productive and happy life. What you really have to do is decide what to do about it. So a better question is, “Now what?”

Sigmund Freud was one of the most important figures in the field of psychology and the creator of Psychoanalysis. For many years, all around the world, psychologists and psychiatrists spent their time trying to discover why their patients thought and behaved the way they did. Treatments were very long, which made them expensive and thus not available to everyone. They were often very painful emotionally, which made people stop them after a while.

Then Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) came along and provided quick ways to recover from issues, boost confidence and otherwise improve people’s emotional state without long and painful treatments. NLP does not dwell on the reasons. Instead, it quickly identifies where the person is, where they want to be, and then “reprograms” their thought patters to achieve that.

Read Never Mind Why »

August 22, 2012 by Gal Baras In: Personal Development Tags: kids / children, focus, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, emotional intelligence, behavior / discipline, how to, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, choice, love languages, generation gap, practical parenting / parents, happiness, motivation, communication styles, relationships / marriage, bullying, communication

Decision Horizon

It is amazing to discover that more and more often, decisions we make are no longer long-term or life-long decision but very short-term ones.

My parents come from a generation in which they thought that when a decision was made, it was made for life. If we misbehaved, they thought we would misbehave our entire lives. When we did not want to learn (OK, when I did not want to learn), they thought we would hate learning forever. When we hung around certain friends, they were afraid we would be with those friends forever.

Not so for my kids.

Read Decision Horizon »

October 3, 2008 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting Tags: choice, generation gap, change, family planning, lifestyle, decision making, generation X, Generation Y, goals / goal setting, vision, values

Teens Today Aren’t Like We Used to Be

Teenage boys looking at their phones

In my work with parents and teens, I here many times the phrase “Teens today aren’t like we used to be”.

Really?

I remember this from a friend of mine from high school and his dad when we were 18. Every time when we came to visit my friend, his dad gave us the spiel about how motivated, well mannered, hard working and respectful his generation was and how horrible, suffering from peer pressure, disrespectful and lazy we were.

I remember asking him one day if his parents did not say the same thing about him when he was 18.

Read Teens Today Aren’t Like We Used to Be »

February 27, 2008 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting, Teens / Teenagers, Emotional Intelligence Tags: research, generation gap, teens / teenagers, behavior / discipline

Teen(r)age: In Search of Love and Uniqueness

Girl on man's shoulders

Many parents report frustration and doubt regarding their parenting when their wonderful children reach teen age. They dread this period and express tension and even fear. Instead of getting closer to their growing children, their child’s first teen birthday marks the formation of “the generation gap”. Teens become emotional, irrational and mysterious. Parents ask themselves “Why do teens behave the way they do? Is it hormonal? Why are they so emotional? Is it normal?”

Read Teen(r)age: In Search of Love and Uniqueness »

August 16, 2007 by Ronit Baras In: Parenting, Teens / Teenagers Tags: practical parenting / parents, love, relationships / marriage, responsibility, eating disorders, values, teen books, emotional intelligence, social skills, role model, family matters, trust, k-12 education, books, positive attitude tips, action, teens / teenagers, violence, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, focus, identity, self confidence / self esteem / self worth, school, generation gap

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