by Francis Harris

Created on: April 26, 2010

The generation gap is more than just a difference of age, or technology, or cultural viewpoints, or fashion between old and young. It has come to mean a breakdown in “understanding” and “communication”. It represents a difference in worldview and outlook between generations that is stimulated by the isolation and segregation of young people from normal community in peer-dominated worlds.

How can parents bridge the generation gap? Especially how can young parents - new to parenting or simply young themselves - overcome some of the massive cultural barriers that exist and which prevent people of different generations from mixing  - whether parents to their own children, children to their grand-parents, parents to their parent's friends etc. ? How can the generational barriers be overcome?

Here are just a few  things that you can do.

1. Be aware of "age-related" activities and avoid them. The rise in popularity of "age-appropriate" activities for children has often over-flowed into "age-related" socialization isolating all generations among their peers. We can be aware of all the ways that society is fragmented - often in apparently beneficial activities - and avoid them, or challenge them in some way to be more inclusive of all ages (eg be critical of the kids program at church that isolates young people among peers and cuts them off from families and normal community; avoid the 18-30s holiday clubs; don't use the creche at the shopping mall but take your child into normal social activities; etc.)

2. Connect with your own children. The young parent needs to be very intentional about connecting with their own children and making sure that their kids lives are not dominated by peers. Peers play a role - only a role - and peers certainly do not play the most important role (not even for teenagers). Parent's need to make sure that they connect with their children and don't send their kid off to every "age-appropriate" program they can, where they will be isolated from normal community.

3. Give the child experience with older generations. The young parent needs to be intentional about helping their child connect with older generations whether through visiting and building relationship with their own grandparents, or through some "adopt a grand-parent" scheme. There are some initiatives where lonely folk in nursing homes are given a second family and paired with young families who have no extended family. The young parent may find it very useful to link in with such a scheme so that the children grow up knowing older folk play a part in their lives, and their parent's lives.

4. Join an intergenerational initiatives. There are some programs being developed in society to link people of different generations with the main focus of building relationships. Older folk can share knowledge and skills freely with young folk in areas such as history, art, craft or music, while young people can teach technology or computers to help older people.

Taking steps to overcome the cultural norms that surround us and which since the early 20th century has been stimulating the generation gap will benefit your family and the wider community.

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