There’s a generational divide and we all know it.  80% of adults in a recent poll reported that they believed that kids need different skills to achieve success today than just twenty years ago.  Times are a’ changing and they are changing fast.  I’ve taken to reading the Business section first because that’s where I get the latest technology news – the news that changes how we live our lives.

And it is media technology that is at the core of this change.  How we communicate, when, where, how fast, and content.  We can send pictures to a loved one over the phone every day when they are away from home.  We text, blog, twitter, wiki, email…connect…connect…connect…it’s a new generation. 

If kids need 21st century skills, then parents need 21st century parenting knowledge and techniques.  Kids are not born knowing how to handle all this media technology.  They quickly learn how to use it and use it almost to the point of addiction.  But, parents have the responsibility to teach, guide, and instill the values, skills, and character traits their children will need to traverse the 21st century divide and find success and happiness.  The character traits kids need, thank goodness, are the same as they’ve always been: self-discipline, ability to delay gratification, ability to help another person, inter-personal skills, manners, etc.  Kids need the language and communication skills to interact with another person.    They need to learn how to learn, and thus feel good about the skills they are gaining.   Say Yes to No helps parents gain the strategies they need to parent in the 21st century.   What are the 21st century skills you think kids need?

Dr. Dave