Generation gap
Sir,
Generation gap is
actually the age difference between parents and
their children and should not be taken as a
limitation or in a negative sense. The article
"Generation Gap" by Priyambada Inka
published in DE of February 4 brings out nicely
the views of parents and children on their
behaviour directed at each other. Two things are
very obvious in dealing with the behaviour
pattern of parents and children. One, the parents
hold the initiative to influence their children
more than the other way around, and two, that the
children are more liable to make mistakes in the
early part of their life. The biggest error on
the part of parent is to compare the behaviour of
their children with theri own behaviour when they
were young. Quite often we hear parents stating
that when they were young they never had so much
of liberty as the present day younger generation
has. Then there is another set of parents who put
the entire blame on the liberty of their children
on TV and cinema. This also leads them to no
where.
So where lies the
answer on bridging the generation gap. It is
entirely upto the parents to draw out a frame
work; to iron out the differences in whatever
magnitude, they exist. When a man is at a state
of higher knowledge he can come down to the lower
State to understand things in a correct
perspective. It is not feasible for the children
to understand what their parents feel about them
they behave indifferently.
Instead of taking
about their past when they were young, the
parents would do better if they relate their
thinking towards the latest trends to the younger
generation. The children should get a feeling
that their parents are alive to their likes and
dislikes and can always provide necessary
Protection and guidelines at the time of need.
The parents of today cannot afford to sit quietly
in one corner of the house acting like a monarch
to sort out problems and give decisions like what
was happening in the past? The parents of today
have to be actively involved with their children
and to an extent they may have to play a role of
co-partner in their children's activity in a
dignified and matured manner. Inspite of all
this, if children still disrespect their parents,
the children would require counselling from their
parents from time to time. This is also possible
and would provide a means of bridging the gap
between them. If a child still misbehaves with
his parents despite the best attention being
given to him by parents, there is certainly
something wrong in child's upbringing or the
environmental effect on him caused due to the
ill-effects prevailing in the society. Both these
factors need to be carefully examined to find out
what best can be done to easy out the situation.
Yours etc...
Lt. Col R K Langar
Shastrinagar, Jammu
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