Generation Gap is a term given to the gap or age difference between two sets of people; the young people and their elders, especially between children and their parents. Everything is influenced by the change of time- the age, the culture, mannerism, and morality.

This change affects everyone. The generation gap is an endless social phenomenon. Every generation lives at a certain time under certain circumstances and conditions. So, all generations have their own set of values and views. Every generation wants to uphold the principles they believe in. This is a problem that has continued for ages.

People born in different periods under different conditions have their views based on the circumstances they have been through. The patterns of life have been changing continuously according to time. Everyone wants to live and behave in his way and no one wants to compromise with his or her values and views. There has always been a difference in attitude or lack of understanding between the younger and older generations. This attitude has augmented the generation gap and it is becoming wider day by day. This gap now has started impacting our lives in the wrong way. Another main reason for the generation gap is communication gap between parents and today’s youth as parents are busy working and the youth is busy with the electronic gadgets that are given to them by their parents.

We should always welcome fresh and new ideas. Accepting new changes indicates that we are advancing and developing significantly. But, there will be a clash between the opinions and views of both generations. The result of this clash leads to distanced relations. If this clash gets too much, it will be a matter of worry.

We can see the generation gap, usually between parents and kids. Parents typically want to follow the traditions and norms and expect the same thing from their kids. But in the modern age, kids with broad thinking refuse to accept such traditions and customs. They want to live their life according to their ways. They fail to understand each other, which sometimes turns into clashes. It is considered one of the primary reasons for conflict between parents and kids.

Both parents and their kids fail to reach a solution that distances them from each other and creates misunderstandings. Parents should not impose their expectations on them to avoid such conflicts. Similarly, the kids should also try to understand their parents’ situation and where it is coming from.

The people belonging to different generations have been given different names for instance those born before independence have been termed as the Traditionalists, the generation after that is called the Baby Boomers, those born between 1965 and 1980 are called Generation X and those born between 1980 and 1999 are known as the Generation Y. There are a few things that clearly show the gap between these generations. Here is a look at the same:

1. Family System

People belonging to the older generations lived in a joint family system and believed in sharing and caring. However, this concept has deteriorated over the generations. The current generation wants freedom and there is hardly anyone who follows the traditional way of living in the joint families. The overall lifestyle of people has changed drastically.

2. Language

The Hindi spoken by people belonging to the pre-independence era is quite different from that being spoken today and the change did not occur all of a sudden it occurred over a period of time - generation after generation. Each generation adopts a new group of slangs thereby creating some division from the earlier one. Communication between people belonging to different generations at home as well as workplace sometimes becomes quite difficult due to this change in language.

3. Workplace Attitude

While people belonging to the earlier generations were good at taking directions and were loyal to a single employer, people these days get bored quite quickly and seek new jobs within a few years or at times even months of getting a job. The Gen Y people are innovative and want to share and implement their own unique ideas rather than blindly taking directions from their boss.

4. Attitude towards Women

Women belonging to the older generations were mostly confined to home. They were only seen as someone who should take care of the house, going out and working was the thing of the men of the house. However, society’s attitude towards women has changed over the generations. Today, women are allowed to enter any field of their choice and work just as men.

How to Bridge the Gap?

Parent-child relationship is the most beautiful relationship in the world. It should be nurtured with love and handled with care. It is unfortunate to see how these relationships are strained at the hands of something as trivial as difference in opinion.

It is seen that the older generation always claims to be a better judge and a better decision maker and the younger generation is often made to feel like the culprit. It is time to understand that neither is completely wrong or completely right in what they do. In fact, the definition of right and wrong in this case is different for different generations. There is a need for acceptance and understanding here.

People from the older generation must understand that their children are born in a different age and hence their mindset is different from them. Parents and grandparents need to pay attention to why their children are behaving in the way they are behaving and as to why they have an opinion different from them rather than blindly imposing their rules and ideas on the later.

Parents must become friends with their children to understand their psyche. Children, on the other hand, must respect their parents. They must trust their parents and share their thoughts with them. Children must be open to feedback and understand that the advice coming from their parents is not wrong. It will only help them progress in life.

Parents must not judge their children and allow them the space to do things on their own rather than poking in everything. While parents give their children space, they must define certain boundaries that the later should respect the same. Two-way communication is the basis of a strong relationship and both parents and children must ensure they maintain the same. Any issues must be discussed and both the parties must try to understand each other’s point of view rather than debating against it.

Generation gap occurs because the world is constantly changing. It should be understood that people born in different ages are bound to be different from one another. People belonging to one generation are very different from the other which is natural. However, the problem arises when people from different generations try to impose their ideas and beliefs on the other while totally condemning that of the others’. There is a need for developing understanding and acceptance in order to bridge this gap.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 13 2022

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