Want to lose your kids’ trust?
Here’s are three simple tips to ensure this happens.
- Tell them their music sucks.
- Tell them that their clothes suck.
- Tell them their friends suck too.
As a bonus, let them know that nothing good has happened since you grew up as a kid: The Golden Era of Everything.
Voila. They won’t trust you and probably can’t stand you either.
I can guarantee that you will struggle to have conversations with them as teenagers. They won’t open up about any problems they’re having at school or in life. They might even feel that you’re ashamed of them. You’ve told them for years that various parts of their identity suck. You don’t see them and can’t relate to them or their struggles.
This sucks.
Obviously, I’m being a jerk and a smart-ass. But it’s essentially what many fathers do. They beat their kids down with years of over-the-top criticism and hate about their generation. If you grew up in this era, you would be on your device all the time also- like this moment.
Then dads look up and wonder: Why doesn’t my kid talk to me?
Trust is essential in every aspect of life. Without it, everything falls apart, especially within the family unit. You don’t have to like their music, clothes, or slang. Hell, our parents hated our stuff too.
Or was it just mine?
Let your kids discover themselves and forge their own identities. It’s possible to introduce them to your music without slamming theirs. We were once their heroes, and they trusted us with everything.
Besides, wait long enough, and your generation’s stuff will be hot again. It’s happening for me right now with all things from the 90s.
Play the long game, dads. Keep the trust.
