“What happened to our kids?”

“ Technology is taking over our lives!”

“Technology makes kids aggressive, antisocial and suicidal!”

I could list here so many more of the statements and questions that are circulating these days among terrified parents and teachers.

How this all happened?

How did we end up here? How and why parenting has changed? How and why education system still resists to technology? Why are we so divided?

Well, I made some research for you, this might help to understand the current situation!

It is all about generations!

We mention a lot the millennials and Y Gen, but there are more generations than these.

In the last 70 years we had 6 generations: builders who are today over 7- , baby boomers above 50, gen X today middle-aged, the Y who are changing the social landscape everyday these days and the amazing Alpha Gen, who are changing parenting, education and social communication even though many do not even know that they are a completely new generation.

Where all this separation of generation comes from?

A generation is “all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively”. It can also be described as, “the average period, generally considered to be about thirty years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and begin to have children of their own”.[1] In kinship terminology, it is a structural term designating the parent-child relationship. It is also known as biogenesis, reproduction, or procreation in the biological sciences.

I am a baby boomer and I relay consider myself lucky! I got to see the world without and lead by technology! I truly know the best is yet to come!

I make me always smile when I see pictures about, how awesome was life and our childhood without technology!

It was not! I was bored!

Yes indeed, I read a lot, but I would read even more if I had Kindle at that time.

I remember that I use to have 2 library cards: one at for the school and one for the town library. I used to “bribe” the library lady with my grandmother homemade cookies so she would keep for me the book that I wanted to read as soon as books were returned.

I always loved books. When I moved countries I was heartbroken to leave my books behind!

I discovered: Kindle!

I hated it!

I missed the smell, the touch, the feeling of holding a book in my hand.

I loved the fact that I could access any book in minutes!

I loved that I can carry them in my cloud!

I loved that I can actually make better notes, highlights!

I loved that I can keep them forever, wherever I go!

I realised, that in order to have a copy of any book I wanted, no tree was sacrificed!

Suddenly, I fell in love with Kindle.

How many of these new things, did you struggle within the last years, but now you just can`t imagine life without it?

I have many parents coming up to me and complaining that their kids do not want to read books. I always suggest them to try digital books!

They say: NO! I want them to have the real thing!

So I ask them: what if when you were a child you were offered a manuscript instead of a book? It was just a few hundred years ago when that was the real thing!

So, after giving a thought, many of these parents will give a go and introduce their kids to the digital world of books.

Most of the time these kids will become avid readers.

Take a look at this picture attached and maybe you want to read the article attached!

https://mccrindle.com.au/insights/blog/generations-defined-50-years-change-5-generations-resource/

Can you now understand better, what is happening?

And the kids under 6 that were born after 2012 are not even mentioned.

They are the Alpha Generation.

About them and what are they here for and what are they up to, you can read in my next blog!

Looking forward to your notes and comments!

Happy Adventures, and wishing you a new and amazing school year full of creativity and fun!