Creating the appropriate dialogue with teens and especially young adults who have crossed the bridge from "adulting" (current term by the bottom curve of Millennial) to land in the planet of responsibility and accountability can be a shock to some, depending upon the type of parenting they've received.
Looking at my life over the past couple of weeks
facing the uncertainty of what may lay ahead
where before if there were uncertainty, we talked it through together.
Right now, that is not an option
as my husband lies in critical care at the best hospital in the universe (ref: www.bafound.org ) acclaimed among peers, heavily sedated and kept paralyzed to avoid more vasospasms REF: Wikipedia ::...
I've become reflective as a means of coping
Answering on Quora gives me the opportunity to give my opinions based on my own experiences. Taken at face value. No acknowledgement or acclaim other than some votes.
The one challenge that Millennial populace share is the ability to ask for or heed advice. The stronger, more centrally planted know who and how to reach out for advice without hesitation.
When one puts into perspective the parenting most Millennial have is their is a strong likelihood their parents were on the bottom curve of Baby Boomers, barely a blip before the slight hilly curve of GenX emerged.
1960-61 was one of the worst years in history to be born: squeezed mightily by Baby Boomers on the one side, with their Millennial children imploding on the other: whom I dub us "The INbetweeners" and evolved a blog talking about YUPPYdom: the attitude of those beginning to adult in the 1980s to beginning to have the start of the Millennial generation starting in 1989.
1961: the same year Obama was born ::... squeezed by the free era of free love, drugs & rock n roll baby boomer older siblings> We have a unique perspective by those who are never afraid of expressing their opinion, less possible to be heard from the noise of the bigger, louder generation of Baby Boomers.
Listening to your children is the best gift you can give them ... and this is coming from someone who is affectionately called "Chatty Cathy" by the love of my life: Hunkster Hubster.
Yet all those times, hours, I sat among the kids, their friends, I was really listening to them. What was going on in their world: their guffaws and giggles and snorts when I confirmed that I was pretty isolated in some ways as a child.
What evolved was really being talked to: hopes, dreams, drama, dilemmas going on in their world. Since my answers often came across as goofy and naive, the rave of laughter was roaring in our home. That's about when the Hunkster Hubster would puff out his chest and give his take on the matter, in a nutshell, with very few words, spoken in either his very soft voice that made people strain to hear him forcing them to really listen .... or he could boom out a command that filled the house up echoing from the walls. If it was a cliche movie theme, Buddy would be howling in the background!
I don't think there was any question among our motley crew of dreamers, schemers and believers that they could have an important conversation with their parents; their parental unit as it was at most time, togetherness, on the same wavelength. It became interesting when everyone was contributing ideas, debating ideals.
The Hunkster Hubster and I were both born in 1961. There is a level of understanding, belief systems ingrained in us that really makes us uniquely opposite in so many ways, while harmoniously in sink in others. Especially the importance of children.
From that unified approach, it has guided us when we felt there were few answers. Like now. It's just sad that I can't share it with him right now.
