21^st Century Kids Need
21^st Century Support

We’ve all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. It still holds true in the 21st century – except that today, the village is global. Much of what we do cuts across borders, from the definition of childhood itself to issues that impact people across the world.

What’s more, people – families included – are highly mobile. We move with ease to different countries. And even if we stay put, we are in contact with more cultures, languages, and approaches to life than ever before.

There’s no way around it: Digital devices have dramatically changed the ways in which we learn, interact with each other, express ourselves, and choose to spend our time. And that technology is changing at the speed of light – much faster than anything we can keep up with.

It’s on us to help create a healthy, nurturing digital world – and to empower kids with the tools and awareness to interact safely in that world.

Many modern families make carefully planned decisions to have fewer kids, later in life. But paradoxically, the recipe for helping guide those highly sought after kids towards success is more complicated than ever before. Today’s goals tend to go beyond the 123s and ABCs to include fuzzier concepts like autonomy, resilience, or critical thinking.

This situation makes raising and educating kids an intense undertaking in the 21st century. A first step towards reducing that intensity is to stay mindful. That is, be intentional and thoughtful. Acknowledge the unique characteristics of 21st century childhood. But be aware of our roles and limits as caregivers. And stay grounded enough to approach challenges with resilience and a sense of calm.

Emotional intelligence is emerging as a major building block for success in life — from navigating relationships to advancing in a career, and so much more. Helping kids develop social emotional skills isn’t necessarily difficult – but it does require awareness and approaches that may be different from traditional models of the past.

For The Global, Digital Mindful Project, mindful also refers to today’s emphasis on supporting and cultivating kids’ emotional intelligence and wellbeing. Let’s help support our kids – and ourselves – through a focus on social emotional skill building.