Yes—our kids are smarter than us, and there is no shame admitting it. Their time is way different than ours was, and our challenge now is to swallow this fact and learn how to deal with it. Our parents never gave us the chance to talk about or share our ideas. It was always “stay still” and “don’t talk when the adults are talking”.
But, I believe, that despite their best intentions, this was a mistake on their part. I’m saying this so that we’re not shocked the next time our kids say that they want to be YouTubers, Instagram influencers, or whatever new and strange career choice out there.
This is what they grow up seeing on the internet and no matter how ridiculous you think their ideas are, we need to listen to their point of view. Because the world is changing so fast and they’re currently exposed to more things than we ever were at their age. And I speak from personal experience, because, trust me, if you just try and properly listen to them once, you’ll be really surprised when you hear what comes out of their mouths.
I admit, at first, I was angry. I mean, what could my pre-teen son possibly know about this!? But I calmed down and I sarcastically asked: “What is it, smarty pants?” He answered that there was this new type of tape that you could use to close underwater leaks. I looked at him saying “really? A glue that works underwater?” and he just said “yes” and went on to show me the YouTube video he saw about it.
I also learnt that the tape was something you could even order online, which I did, and I was surprised that it actually worked! I was very happy with the results and it also made my son feel really proud of himself, and of course, I was proud of him. From that day on, I started to talk to my kids more and listen to their ideas. Try it—you might actually learn something! I once asked a university professor why our kids seem smarter than us, even though we have more life experience than them.
His theory is that every generation inherits their parents’ experiences in their DNA, and he believes that this is how we grow and develop as a human race—getting better with each generation. So, yep! I say learn from your kids! Encourage them to think for themselves and share their ideas. You might find out one day you’re the parent of a great inventor who ends up changing the world.
