A Scouts Canada A survey has found that most Canadians worry that children aged 10 to 21 are too soft and haven’t learned the proper coping skills to face their future.
The survey, which included 1,000 Canadians, found that social media channels, screens and lack of development, social/peer pressure, video games and helicopters parenthood are the greatest dangers for children today.
Just over a third of those surveyed are not confident that young people aged 10 to 21 will be able to find work in the future and become successful adults.
When it comes to different generations, nearly 75% of respondents said that parents of Generations children.
Canadians say the top skills kids ages 10 to 21 don’t have are stress management skills, basic etiquette problem solving and the ability to say thank you.
Nearly 100 percent of respondents said children have been disadvantaged growing up during COVID.
Dr. Ashley Miller, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, told Global News that it’s very difficult to be a parent these days.
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“It’s not necessarily due to parenting style, but rather general stress in society and also the lack of support for most parents of young children,” she said.
“I think there is too much judgment on parents, which is actually part of the problem. But it’s important as a parent to have a balance between kindness and firmness.
When asked which province raises their children aged 10 to 21 to be the most resilient and prepare them for the best future success, respondents said Ontario does the best job with 36.5 percent and British Columbia comes in far behind with 16.6 percent. of the vote.
Parents and guardians in Prince Edward Island are doing the worst job, survey finds.
“There’s a debt that comes with every generation and every generation finds tricks,” Miller said. “And they also have to adapt to the context that they’re in. So, you know, I think there’s a lot of creativity among parents today.”
She said children also have a difficult job.
“They’re not necessarily playing outside as much as they should or playing freely as much, which we know really helps with child development,” Miller added.
“So they’re trying to navigate very complex systems and worlds and bring everything online. And it’s usually these foundations that help them develop their true self-esteem.
She said she would like to see parents reach out more to other parents and ask for and offer support.
“There are broad categories of strategies that work or don’t work,” Miller added.
“But I still like the advice from one of my mentors as a parent to read the book for myself,” she said. “So you don’t want to focus too much on one specific parenting task or tendency, and also just notice your child, be curious about who your child is, what their needs are.
“Some children need a little push to explore more and take more risks. For other children, you need to set much stricter limits or they will continue to get into trouble.
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