The term "We" Generation is one that is heard quite often these days. The term is used by the organization Free the Children in their Me to We Day campaign to raise awareness for child poverty amongst today's youth. The premise is that in order to raise "socially responsible kids", parents must help children shift their focus from the child to the world at large - from "me" to "we".
The new technologies of the Web 2.0 actually support this idea as they are collaborative in nature. Children can now communicate with others around the world quite easily. Blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, facebook and other applications, when used responsibly, provide many benefits. However, it is up to parents and educators to help students learn to use these tools appropriately.
The book also includes general advice for parents in connecting with their children. The author is an advocate of physical contact like hugging your children as part of this connection process. In a world of trepidation due to abuse, this is a difficult concept to understand. However, I know that babies in orphanages develop differently due to the lack of contact in their early lives compared to babies who are held often by their mothers. In fact, I have seen advertisements on the internet for "cuddlers" for these babies.
There is also a lot of common sense advice on topics such as nurturing responsibility, expecting the best from our kids and punishment vs. discipline. As a teacher, I didn't find anything new or surprising here but then again, I've been trained in dealing with children, particularly adolescents, having taught Gr. 7 and 8 for the past 18 years.
I think this topic is very important for today's youth. We have so many advantages, especially in our privileged communities. Reaching out to others in need helps children appreciate what they have, helps them feel good about themselves, develops their character and inspires others to do the same. As adults, we can certainly take a lesson from this!
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