They’re Touching Grass! Small Joys of Parenting Gen Z in a Screen-Obsessed World 📵🤳

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The Small Joys of Parenting Gen Z

Yesterday, my 21 and 17-year-old were part of a music pop-up show in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Daniel Caesar, the Canadian singer, was performing for a group of young adults. And the best part, they were touching grass!

Too bad the Atlanta PD shut it down after just 20 minutes because the crowd was too large to manage. They had to do what they had to do, its ok.

The point is, my children, and many other young adults, most of whom were strangers to them, were touching grass. For those who don’t have Gen Z in their lives, “touching grass” means stepping away from the internet to experience real life. It’s usually used to admonish those who are chronically online.

Daniel Ceasar at ATL Piedmont Park

Off the Screen, Onto the Scene

Back in 2017, I started FutureSTRONG Academy with the goal of teaching life skills that schools often don’t teach actively. The kind of soft skills that kid need in their reali life while adulting in an often chaotic and demanding world. I was also keenly inclined to show kids the power of connection, and the necessity for us to surround ourselves with good, like-minded people who shared common interests.

Whenever I could, I encouraged my students to code for a few minutes and then combined our learnings into brainstorming sessions via whiteboard challenges, slime-making contests, so we could laugh and learn at the same time.

Connection gives meaning. It fuels purpose. Our sense of identity is rooted in social context, we are someone’s daughter, sister, mother, or friend etc etc. Research shows that for children to thrive cognitively, socially, and emotionally, they need environments rich with connection and communication.

I called these sessions: “Off the Screen, Onto the Scene.”

Of course, the pandemic changed everything. At first, I refused to offer online classes, even when parents from Atlanta called asking to enroll their kids remotely. I didn’t realize then how necessary it would become, but when the pandemic hit, I had to pivot to online teaching like everyone else.

I even wrote about craving real-life connection post pandemic, you can read the essay here. Get Back in My Face.

Valuing In-Person Interaction Over Digital Immersion

The good news is, many parents who are as fed up as I am about our kids’ online addictions are embracing screen-free living. There are now clubs and movements aimed at intentionally reducing screen time for children and adults alike. Read more here: Screen-Free Living

Corporations, of course, have found ways to capitalize on this trend, first creating the problem (screen addiction) and then offering solutions. Hello, Capitalism LOL. Read this BBC article for more: Digital Detox Capitalism. A key nugget from the article:

What happens when the clients first show up at their detox centers, they found a distinct pattern:

“Guests go stir-crazy in the first 24 hours,” one organizer said. “By 48 hours, they start adjusting and engaging in other activities. After three days—or longer—they may be happy to have their phones back or feel neutral about them.”

Building Social Currency in a Faceless World

Building social currency in a faceless world of technology is an asset. I tell my children, our network is our net worth. Not in a way that I will milk all my connections, but in a way that I will surround myself with people who want to leave a legacy and a positive impact on the world, so I can be inspired to do so as well.

What are you waiting for?

Invite a friend for coffee instead of sending an emoji. Start with eye contact. It’s the bridge to building trust and meaningful connections.

Read more: Relationship Etiquette in a Faceless World

Featured Artist: Daniel Caesar

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPwnK74kqkN/?hl=en

Image Desc For Below

Here they are rushing the field after a college game, at a Lil Tecca concert and at a Yousuke Yukimatsu concert. Good times ahead for the world.

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