The source I chose is a TedTalk video uploaded to YouTube. The Ted Talk “The Future of Families: four discoveries that change everything” was conducted by George Carey in November of 2015. Carey’s company conducted a grand study with the goal of getting a glimpse into the future of families. The objective was to better understand the new relationship between parents and their kids. In the study, the researchers showed the participants, the moms and dads all around the world two pictures and asked them which picture represented their family. The first picture was of a mother duck and her babies following after her. The second picture was of a baby elephant walking with her mother following her baby. They then asked the parents which of the images best represented how they saw their role as parents. The duck example is representative of parents leading the way with children following their example whereas the elephant example is representative of kids leading the way with guidance from parents. The results were as followed, 58% off parents responded with a connection to the 58% elephant example while 42% off parents responded with a connection to the duck example. While talking to parents, they noticed that a new phrase has crept into the discourse, which is ‘best friend’. They found this to be very widespread around the world and very surprising. Typically, the parents with kids ages of 6 to 12 were most commonly using the phrase ‘best friend.’ Parents of earlier generations were the authority figure and it was mostly accepted. Moms would say, “Because I said so.” or “Because I’m the mom.” Parents would let their kids have decide on simple matters such as choosing which snack they wanted or what clothes to wear for the day.
The new face of modern family decision making is as follows:
1. 48% Parent control
2. 75% Collaborative
3. 49% Kid control
When millennial parents were asked who in the family has the final word, dads answered 38% and moms answered 25%. This is having a profound impact on what the kids eat, what they do and how they behave. Smoking advertisements didn’t work very well until the advertisements against the dangers of second hand smoke were introduced then parents begin to pay more attention because it affected their children.
A question asked children before the year 2000 what things they were most concerned about.
Their answers:
1. Having more fun
2. Getting what I want for my birthday
3. Doing well in school
4. More time with friends
5. Being health
6. Being liked
7. Having to eat food I don’t like
In 2016 this question was asked again of kids. Their answers:
1. The future
2. Getting bad grades
3. Parents separating
4. War
5. Dying
6. School shooting
7. Getting arrested
In connection to chapter 10, the TedTalk demonstrates the dramatic changes that have been occurring within the family unit and I think these changes bring considerable problems with them. For instance, children have limited life experience and maturity to always make serious decisions on their own. Parents abdicating guidance, might leave a child, even more vulnerable to peer pressure, thus more apt to making a bad decision. Such may involve the honesty in a young child or the sexual activity in a teenager. Healthy eating is negatively affected if a child has a lot more control over his food choices and doesn’t have parenting rules to follow. One problem we see today in the classroom is how disruptive children are. One contributory factor to this disruptive behavior is kids’ cell phone use in the classroom. It is very difficult to get to kids to not pull them out and use them, as frustrating as that is for the instructor. However, in previous generations, there was more respect for the authority of the teacher. There is certainly a lot more to worry about in today’s culture. It’s important to have the guidance of a parent in navigating the world and keep your best friends within your own age group.
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