SASA: Children know what they want from a young age

Gone are the days of having children and planning out their future from the crib. Back in the day, our forefathers would have children just so that they may fulfil certain destinies. They had children to pass over their wealth, they had daughters to marry them into certain families, they declared from birth what their children should do when they are older. Over time, they ‘evolved’ enough to say things like “you must be a doctor.” I think our fathers were among the last generation to get away with such thoughts and demands.

My father discouraged me from pursuing journalism because it was a job with a short lifespan according to him. I had to correct him early on that a news anchor is not a journalist and that there was much more I could do in the field. Thankfully, as the last child my father had grown enough to know when to let us make our own choices.

As parents of the latest generations, we have understood that not only have the rules of parenting changed but humans themselves have also changed. Children from these new generations are widely different from any other kids that came before. They know what they want and what they don't want from a very early age. The days of forcing picky eaters to eat what they don't like are gone. My son will rather starve for hours if you insist on giving him what he doesn't want. Even the kindergarten failed to make him eat what he doesn't want to eat. My baby will clench his jaw shut if he doesn't want to eat something.

These kids are not  spoiled, they are just descendants of thousands of years of evolution. They are smarter, stronger and more advanced. I cannot therefore imagine ever telling my son what classes to pick or what field he can choose. Our generation has seen the impossible become possible. There are multimillionaires that are plumbers. There are kids who became millionaires at sixteen! Because possibilities are infinite, our children have more choices than we ever had.

We cannot therefore force them to pick something they simply do not want. This could be anything in their life ranging from food to partners, jobs and even lifestyle choices. All from a very young age.

So if you have a kid and think that raising a child gives you a say in their choices, think again. The only thing we can do is to raise them right, guide them, lead by example and pray they make good choices; choices that will benefit them not those that appease us.