It’s true to say that there are certain lessons that cannot be taught, only experienced. After all, it might be that someone tells us important life lessons only for us to not really adopt or understand it, later on learning that exact lesson.
When we reach our golden years, it can sometimes feel as though we have so many life lessons to give to our younger selves, but how would those apply to our grandchildren or nephews and nieces? After all, they live in a different world to those we used to live in.
It’s tough not to look at ourselves and wonder ‘do we have any insight to offer at all?’ and if so – ‘how are we supposed to deliver it?’
Rest assured – you are most likely more insightful than you would imagine. In this post, I’ve decided to write up a few techniques and tips you can use to help the youth in your life feel more confident about their abilities going forward, and how to impart wisdom that will keep them safe, happy, and successful, in that order.
Speak To Them Honestly
The worst thing any of us can do is speak to the youth as if they’re not intelligent. Most of us remember being spoken down to or patronized in our teenage or even young adult years. It’s never a good feeling, to the point where we can see how speaking to someone younger in that way may make us guilty of that, too.
This doesn’t mean you have to speak to them as a grown-up adult weary from life, but it does mean that respecting their intelligence is a good idea.
For instance, instead of using overdramatic horror stories to describe what happens if you drink at parties without care, it can be nice to level with them and teach them just what reckless behavior can mean if they’re not careful.
Bring them up to your level, don’t make it obvious that you feel you have to ‘stoop down to theirs.’ It will help them listen to you as a gentle friend rather than a lecturer they can’t really relate to.
Encourage Them To Be Their Best Selves
It’s always good to showcase the potential that a young person has rather than making them feel that they need to follow a perfect path you deem appropriate. It’s quite hard for many people to shake those biases, but sometimes, it can be healthy to trust the child to go in their own direction provided they focus on good principles of hard work, commitment, and discipline.
For that reason, I think it would be wise to gently nudge them in a direction while also showing them that they are free to make this choice as they will. This way, they can take the credit for it.
That doesn’t mean you have to let them fly the nest without tutelage, such as potentially showing a grandchild leaving school that a care certificate online could be the next best course of action, or helping them look through their college choices.
As you can see, we all benefit from being nurtured.
Discuss The Future With Them
The only way that the future can be confidently confronted is if we’re willing to have open conversations about it, as well as being able to express our fears and insecurities.
Sometimes, talking to your young relative about how the future is never determined and that even if things don’t go as expected, a great life can be lived, will help them understand that perfection is not worth aiming at because it can prevent you from being great.
It’s also helpful for us all to hear that ‘chasing greatness’ is not always as healthy as following a path right for you, one that helps you feel engaged and satisfied in the work you do. If you can provide this kind of insight, it may just work wonders.
Listen To Them
The best advice I can give is that sometimes, passing down a life lesson from up high is not as important as just listening to the needs of the person you love and hearing them out.
Sometimes, that in itself can help a person learn more about themselves than anything else. In this way, you will be providing the necessary space most young adults need to figure out who they are.
With this advice, I hope you can more easily give your well-meaning wisdom to your young relatives as necessary. I’m sure they’ll feel nothing but gratitude for your trying.
