Generation To Generation

Working at a youth center or in the childcare profession, for that matter, can give a person insight. One often thinks about the potential he or she has in becoming a mother or a father. We all have parental instincts and it has been said that each of us will know what to do when our time comes. The characteristics that are passed down to parent and child can be quite frightening at times. For one day we look at the life that is created, and say in the immortal words of Dr. Evil, ~I shall call him Mini-me~.

There comes to mind the type of parent one wants to become in the future. Will each of us either be the strict disciplinarian that rules with an iron fist? Or will each of us be the laid back cool parent that goes for the acceptance of his or her child rather than the overbearing parent? In a way, one just has to find a middle ground of coolness and being firm. One tends to think that he or she will never become their parents but a person has to only look in the mirror to find out that you are them.

It basically comes full circle, everything that one's parents said to each of us back in the day, will absolutely be said to our kids one day. In a weird way, the sayings that were thought would never be uttered from our lips would actually be said. It can be a scary thought as one will eventually wave "the finger" and give "the look" to his or her own kids. For each of us will have that one moment of clarity and in the immortal words of Keanu Reeves' character Neo in the Matrix, we will simply step back and say, ~Whoa!~

For one will eventually realize that all the headaches and stress that we gave our parents will be passed on to us. A person has to give credit where credit is due to them as we pushed them to the limit mentally and physically. But they stuck by us no matter how foolish and idiotic we became because they loved us. In retrospect, they deserve our thanks as well as an apology for all the good times and hard times that we have given them. For what they gave up to make us happy, we should give back to them ten fold.

Though, those of us who aren't married or have kids of our own, working at a Youth Center, has given most of us, as counselors, somewhat of a hands-on approach of parenting 101 so to speak. In reality, it's not so much telling each of the kids you care, it's just words. It's just a matter of showing them that you care. In a way, I have learned more from them than they will ever know and hopefully the lessons learned will be taught one day to my kids. In the end, the values taught and characteristics we share will be passed on from generation to generation.