Overcoming age gaps  

When children are young they are more or less under total control by their parents. As they mature physiological differences between parents and the offspring vary radically from one period to another. When the child reaches adolescence, he is at a position of acquiring power while the older generation is at a point where it is relinquishing power

Age realism versus youth idealism leads to differences. Though both the youth and the aged claim to see the truth, the old are more conservatively realistic than the young. The youth takes utopian ideals rather seriously. The aged conveniently forgets the poetic ideals of a new social order that they themselves had cherished when young. In their place, they simply put the working ideals. The young have ideals, which soar to the sky. This boundless idealism of youth becomes complicated when they find it incompatible with the "working" ideals of the aged. Therefore, as a solution, the youth make decisions on their own which often do not conform to prevailing yardsticks.

When the child grows into an adolescent his personality expands. His future is before him. For the parents it’s behind them. For them, the future very much involves their offspring. This results in a disparity of interest. The young places his thoughts upon a future which barely includes his parents, whereas the parents place their hopes upon the young. Where family values prevail, children do however harbour a responsibility of care for their parents.

In modern societies, education of youth is largely in the hands of schools or specialised agencies that give the younger generation advanced ideas. This advancement in training sometimes widens the intellectual gap between the parent and the child, especially in cases where the parents are less literate, thereby making the child believe he is wise enough to think and act for himself. This again leads to disparities in views.

In the present day achievement-oriented societies, adolescents have to choose from a panorama of occupations, which are full of uncertainties and competition. Sometimes parents wrongly try to fulfil their own dreams and ambitions by forcing the child to follow their goals and roles. This leads to differences and generally children should be allowed to pursue subjects they like or excel in. Advice from schools, career guidance programmes or even information on the Internet are useful to this effect.

The youth of every era has regarded the old as out-of-date, old-fashioned, conservative and lacking in initiative. On the contrary, the older generation has felt the young as wanting in understanding and respect. In the ultimate analysis prejudices and stereotypes hinder our personal development and separate us from others. We need to look earnestly and honestly at ourselves and try to discard these faults. Then and only then can we communicate effectively regardless of age and back ground.

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