30/07/2023
I'm born in 1987
My peers who are parents of very young kids now, come from a generation where our parents wanted to give us education beyond every thing because they felt that will emancipate all of us. Give us what we want - a house or a car or a comfortable lifestyle.
Today we're a bunch of parents that probably got education ,house, car or even a cell phone in our early adulthood, so when we're becoming parents now, we want more for our children.
👉🏽Many of us are practicing gentle & respectful communication with our kids because those who came from authoritarian or toxic households don't want our kids to have a difficult relationship with us , like many of us have with our parents .
👉🏽We are making sure we don't body shame our kids, we don't compare them with other kids, we don't pressure them to score well, trying to creating an open environment at home, encouraging all kinds of conversations, & Parents are even trying to mode healthy relationships..wow.!
👉🏽Many have now also started imparting consent ,boundaries ,autonomy & safety information with children to make sure they have a safer, s*xually healthier childhood & teenage so that they don't go through abuse or trauma.
💜Overall, we're trying our best to give a better life to our kids by giving them what we didn't get as children .
We're definitely the cycle breaking generation and I'm proud of each one of you that's trying to make a difference in our children's lives.
👉🏽And my 2 extra cents -
Don't feel bad or sad if no one understands what you're trying to do. Only you know what is best for your child so just keep going. We don't want validation from anyone. From grandparents,from society & we shouldn't expect even our children to validate us in future.
🔥If you are clear to your conscience , & if YOU know you are doing your best for your child,that's more than enough.
And if you have a community that resonates with you, good for you- because it takes a village.
Let me know in comments if you've felt alone in this journey ,if you found your community & if not, how you find comfort. Might help other parents .👇
Swati Jagdish
Sexuality health educator
Autonomous parent. ❤️