Since my son’s birth, a question has lingered in my mind—what kind of parent will I be? Will I be a cool dad or a strict one? Will I teach him everything or step back and let him learn on his own? Will I be a father he looks up to, or will I be his equal and his friend? Honestly, I have no clue how everything will turn out, but I am excited for the future.
The only promise I make to myself is that before the world, society, and technology shape my son into what they want, I want to give him the freedom to grow into a real person with his own thoughts and opinions. It is easy to convince a young mind—through media, through the opinions of others, through constant comparison via technology. Even adults fall into this trap, so what chance does the younger generation have on their own?
Before society, government, or social media molds our next generation into something they can control—individuals who take orders without question—we must give our children the freedom to discover who they are and what they are capable of. This does not mean teaching them to reject society. After all, we are, and always will be, social beings. It is up to us to teach our kids to be team players, to work together for the greater good, but never at the cost of losing their individuality or becoming insignificant parts of the system.
Let’s teach them to actually read rather than skim, to play outside rather than just watch the game, to go out and meet people instead of only connecting over Zoom. These may seem like small things, but they are necessary. They will make our children better than us. They will create a generation that can think for themselves while also caring for society.
The way we bring up our kids will not only shape the future of our society but also determine how history is told. Either we build a generation that just follows in our footsteps into a cubicle life, or we empower one that makes the sacrifices of the past worth it.
I know parenting is hard. With the current changes in our world, it is becoming even harder. But if we give up now and let external forces dictate our children’s path, we will be the generation that failed beyond any measure. No past generation has allowed external opinions and decisions to affect their lives as much as we have. It is in the interest of humanity that we take a stand to raise a generation of sharp minds—minds strong enough to propel humanity forward, kind enough to work for the welfare of society, and brave enough to resist unwanted external influence. The future of our children—and the world—depends on the way we choose to raise them today.
