Generation Gaps

The generation gap still exists and will continue to exist despite optimistic statements to the contrary. New parenting methods would have one believing that the gap no longer exists as parents and offspring are more like friends than parents and children, the latter implying that there is still a boundary that cannot be overstepped.

From the Tiger mother generation’s viewpoint, being more like friends with one’s children where your children no longer address you as dad and mom but by your names is a definite no-no. I can hear my own mother saying ( in dialect ) “ Boh tua boh say, ho tah” meaning, “ Haven’t you got any manners, bold piece? ” There is a hierarchy which must be respected. Why do the Chinese have middle names that indicate the generation to which they belong? Simply for this reason. By looking at the middle name, an elder is able to tell the generation of the person. All siblings will have that same middle name.

Why are news of misdemeanours reported daily? Why do teenagers still run away from home? Why do their parents despair and wonder what prompted their youngsters to run away? Why have young people become victims of rapists? Why do they stay out so late at night, returning only in the early hours of the morning, that is, if they return at all.

Many have opined that youngsters do not confide in their parents when they are faced with problems because parents have no time for them. They are too busy eking out a living or too busy with their own social agendas. These youngsters become easy targets for those who are out to dupe them for their own ends.

Gullibility, peer pressure, chat rooms, online predators….. who knows which among these have led the youngsters to do what they did?

Morals are on the decline, so it is reported. Sexy dressing, uninhibited behaviour, lack of decorum….these are commonly seen in the young people of today. Why aren’t parents taking the upper hand in laying down ground rules as to what is permissible and what will not be tolerated? Are they afraid of alienating their young? Surely common sense must prevail.

Maybe I’m outmoded but when I see young girls coming to places of worship dressed in very short shorts ( I believe you call them hot pants) which hug their hips and are low hung ( meaning way below the waistline), I wonder where their respect for the House of God is. How can parents condone this? Shouldn’t they put their foot down and tell them that such clothing is out of place and shows gross disrespect? An excuse that is often heard is “ She won’t listen to me.”

There will then always be gaps, gaps between the older and younger generations, gaps too among the younger generation where there are those who have strict parents with firm do’s and don’ts and those whose parents are lackadaisical, too indulgent or simply too busy and have abdicated their responsibilities. Live and let live cannot be a way of life.

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