{"id":23028,"date":"2019-05-19T10:30:02","date_gmt":"2019-05-19T17:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=23028"},"modified":"2019-05-19T22:51:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T05:51:10","slug":"a-generation-at-stake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-generation-at-stake\/","title":{"rendered":"A Generation at Stake"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A detailed comprehensive “How To Parent” Manual is not given by God at the time of childbirth. Though there are a plethora of parenting self-help books given to new parents at baby showers from no parenting friends, one would soon discover that parenting is strictly trial and error and hopefully it will be more concrete by the third child.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, once that little person glazes into their parents\u2019 eyes, the parent (s) make an unwritten proclamation that no matter what it takes, they will be loved, cherished, and protected. As they grow into the toddler stage, the parent(s) begin to teach them new things and allow for exploration and discovery to take place. Even as they start their first day of kindergarten, though, with hesitation, their parent (s) enable(s) them to branch out to discovery without being right at their side. The pattern continues in this fashion throughout their primary school years.<\/p>\n

Conversely, in their teenage years, this stance is altered because now they are experiencing the world and being bombarded with concepts and ideas that will shape whom they become in adulthood. Some are contradictory to how the parent(s) have raised them according to their upbringing, morals, and belief systems. At once they realize the world is changing around them and their teenage is the subject of its focus.<\/p>\n

The Landscape is Shifting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a child of the late 70\u2019s parenting was stern yet fluid. Stern in the aspect that there were rules, moral standards, and respect ingrained in within us which allowed no more to cross the boundaries. Fluid because it allowed us to challenge thinking, commence on daily adventures exploring the world around us and experience life in a way to develop our character.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s “free range” childhood became less frequent.<\/p>\n

“Stories of abducted children appeared more frequently in the news, and in 1984, images of them began showing up on milk cartons. In response, many parents pulled in the reins and worked har\"\"<\/a>der to keep their children safe. In a variety of ways, children born after 1980 \u2013 Millennials \u2013 got a consistent message from adults: Life is dangerous, but adults will do everything in their power to protect you from harm, not just from strangers but from one another as well”.[1]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The change in the parenting climate eventually lead to the great debate of nurture vs. nature and the issue of helicopter parenting.<\/p>\n

As Generation X or Xennials began to have their children, it appeared that yet another unwritten proclamation was forged not to raise their children regulated by the strict parenting structures of their parent. They embraced this new parenting concept while still had to deal with the issues of the world and the latest advancements in technology. With the Gen X’s and Xennials as parents, the landscape of parenting began to shift once again in North America.<\/p>\n

Xennials, in particular, parent from a position of utilizes traditional and technological technique, encompassing parenting skills passed down from their childhood while incorporating new techniques researched through the internet. They are not per se \u201cHelicopter parents\u201d since they allow for innovative play; however, they do have some non-negotiable rules.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Dynamics of parenting styles remain inconclusive since Gen X and Xennials as well as the generations before them can only parent for the context in which involves cultural influences, parental exposure, and childhood experiences.<\/p>\n

The Current Dilemma<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Now the children of Gen X and Xennials are storming the grounds of universities from a life of being sheltered. While college should be a time of exploration, it becomes a breeding ground for needs of trigger warnings, fragile moral behavior, maladaptive intellectual behavior, physiological harm, and microaggression.<\/p>\n

According to Haidt and Lukainoff, these students also enter with the following three untruths:<\/p>\n