Gen Y and Voting, are they?

Has anyone else spoken with their Gen Yers and found out that they didn't register where they live, therefore they can't vote today? Or they assumed that Mom was going to send them their absentee ballot from "home"? (Though they live and work in another state) or (they can request an absent ballot themselves! Novel idea). Or they don't feel that they're familiar enough with the candidates or the issues to vote? Really? Are you kidding me?

I've taken a very cursory poll of friends and these are the varying common threads.

Have we done such a poor job of teaching our kids: our Millennials, our 20 somethings, our Gen Y kids, that the privilege of living in this country is that we can vote? I know there were record breaking numbers of young people voting in the Presidential election, but what about THIS election? Is apathy alive and well?

I feel like "get out the vote" stuff is all over Facebook, TV, emails, signage, but I'm not so sure these kids are actually taking the time to go and vote? I sure hope I'm wrong, I hope everybody that can vote, does vote! There was a post on Facebook earlier: "you can't complain about the government or politicians unless you vote." That's one way of looking at it. Another is: "This is your country, shape it with your vote or someone else will."

~Beppie

Safety in a Digital World

Our areas of concern for kid’s safety are expanding as the world is more connected. Whether it is through Facebook or another social networking site, our kids, even our grown kids, are interacting with people they MAY never meet and we almost certainly WILL never meet.

 Their first line of strength in this complex world is the confidence they have already developed. When taunting or bullying occurs your kid needs to recognize his own self worth. Hopefully you have talked with them about this from a very early age. There will be people who just don’t like them for reasons that may never be understood, prepare your kid by talking about this not once, but repeatedly. This may make it easier for them to talk with you when it happens.

 Likewise your kid must understand why he must show respect for those around them. Here again you are the critical teacher with early and frequent conversations and behaviors that model acceptance of people’s differences.

 Following the recent tragedy at Rutgers the urgency of frequent and public conversations about hate, intimidation and respect is once again before us. 

 “We are tempted to think that social-media technology drove the behavior, but as a truly ethical matter, the behavior has to be and should be considered human-driven, not technology-driven,” says Scott Foulkrod, a philosophy professor at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania.

 That lesson in ethics is embodied in all the years of talking and doing now they need to experience the world. Teaching your kids not to post foolish, offensive or incriminating photos on Facebook is only the beginning. As parents we have never experienced the digital reality and exposure with which our kids live. An open laptop on the desk maybe broadcasting every activity in the room to the world, is your kid prepared to be seen and heard?

~Jean