DON’T TRUST EVERYTHING YOU HEAR
I couldn’t wait to test out the GPS feature on my new cellphone. I used it for the first time en route to a school I had never been to before in an unfamiliar area. However, my excitement turned to disappointment and irritation as it ‘commanded’ me, no less than five times in the space of about 20km, to turn right while I was driving on the motorway! There were no off-ramps in sight, and doesn’t a GPS know that off-ramps are always to one’s left? Needless to say – the GPS feature has been fired! It would have been downright dangerous to trust or even follow its advice, so I reverted to my paper-based directions and gut feel.
As a 21st century parent we are on the receiving end of so much advice, both solicited and unsolicited. There have never been so many books, TV programmes or courses for parents before. And yet, parents are more confused than ever as to what they should or should not be doing with their offspring. Okay, granted, the future has never been so unpredictable either!
The trouble is not that there is such a dearth of advice and so many different points of view on offer, but that parents themselves are not using common sense, gut feel and their innate intuition, We need to ‘read’ the signs our children give us. We need to filter through all the information that comes our way. We need to connect with this information and then select that which resonates best for us and our children as the most appropriate solution.
We live in a world of increasing shades of gray as opposed to clear cut black and white. While it provides us with a greater degree of freedom, it also increases our stress because we are responsible for the choices we make and can no longer blame others if for the outcome. It is no different in business with the flood of information that hits one from all quarters via a variety of different media every second of every day Eventually one has to take oneself in hand, select a few thought leaders whose information and opinions you value and trust, and then forge ahead, courageously into the future.
Of course, it’s also a good lesson to teach your children – don’t always trust everything you read or hear. If it feels off, for any reason, it probably is. Check it out with someone or a source you trust. Our children also need to work out whose opinions actually count for something and why. Who should they rely on for feedback, because feedback from others influences us along the decision-making pathway. Choosing appropriate and trustworthy opinion leaders and thought leaders starts early.
NIKKI BUSH
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