Raised not Rushed…

Let’s talk about this new generation of kids Gen Z and Gen Alpha. If you’re like me, you’ve probably looked at your child a time or two and thought, “I would’ve never gotten away with that when I was your age.” Or maybe you’ve watched them fumble through something you mastered at ten years old and felt that flash of frustration rise up. But then I have to pause and remember: we are not raising our kids the way we were raised. Because a lot of the Millennial parents broke the cycle. We are the generation that said enough. We put a stop to forcing our kids to carry the weight of adulthood before their time. Our children aren’t responsible for cooking full meals by age 12 because they have parents in the home who are actually parenting. They aren’t expected to contribute financially as teens because we fought hard to give them what we didn’t have: the freedom to just be kids. And yes, I’ll admit I’ve had to catch myself. There are moments when I expect my child to know how to do something I had to do by default. But then I remember: They don’t have to because they are not surviving the way I was. They are being raised, not rushed.

Our kids don’t always move with the urgency we did. They may not have that "common sense" hustle we developed early out of necessity. And while we might be quick to label it as laziness or immaturity, let’s take a step back and realize it’s actually a sign of safety. They’re not burdened like we were. We are the generation of parents who are healing out loud. We’re talking about our trauma in therapy, not burying it in silence. We’re raising our kids with intention, protecting their peace, and teaching them that their voices matter. They are learning to express themselves, to feel their feelings, to communicate. That’s not weakness it’s growth. And it’s beautiful.

So to the parents out there feeling like you’re failing because your child isn’t “as mature” as you were at their age you didn’t fail at all. You succeeded.

You gave them a childhood. And that’s the whole point.

XOXO Kaye,