Today’s parents are more educated than ever before. Especially with the rise in women’s education levels, parenting has transformed from an instinctive role into a structured, knowledge-based effort. Raising children is no longer just about love; it looks like a ‘project’ carried out with books, seminars, and workshops. However, despite all this well-intentioned progress, there is an interesting contradiction: As the number of conscious, educated, and highly aware parents increases, so too does the number of insensitive, difficult, rebellious, and emotionally complex young people also seem to be increasing. This situation leads society to label young people, especially Generation Z, as a “problem,” but the question of whether the root of the problem lies in parenting is rarely examined.
In the past, efforts to save young people focused on combating ignorance, neglect, or financial constraints. Now, the situation is completely reversed: educated, aware families with high access to resources are increasing, yet the same phrases are still heard. For instance, “These children are very difficult; nothing satisfies them.” But why? Despite increased awareness and conscious efforts to “raise them well,” why do so many parents struggle to communicate with and guide their children?
Because the new generation of children is growing up connecting rather than submitting to authority, and an authority that can no longer connect is no longer persuasive. Moreover, the digital world seems to have created a boundless republic of thought, enabling young people to be nourished not only by their families but also by ideas from all over the world. Now, parental or societal approval isn’t the only point of reference. This also renders control mechanisms dysfunctional.
The Role of Parenting Is Changing
Society still asks the question, “Why are children like this?” However, it is being viewed from an incorrect perspective. The problem lies not within the children, but within adult systems that haven’t updated. This means that today’s parents are like old drivers equipped with the latest GPS technology, yet unfamiliar with the new roads. In the past, the parent was a guide walking ahead of the child. Now, the parent must be a companion walking beside them.
Today, many parents, despite knowing what is right, struggle to truly communicate with their children. This is because conveying information is easy, but understanding, accepting, and emotionally adapting are much more challenging. And this is precisely why being educated is valuable but not meaningful on its own. Knowledge only creates a real impact when combined with an updated parenting model, a flexible understanding of authority, and strong emotional literacy. While past generations grew up by being obedient, today’s children are growing up by expressing themselves. Adults who cannot manage these new forms of expression may interpret the loss of control as a loss of respect. What’s happening is that the traditional model of authority is now outdated.
As a result, the increasing educational level of today’s parents, especially mothers, has led to a more conscious and structured approach to parenting. However, increased parental knowledge does not mean that they can also understand the emotional complexity and unmanageability of the new generation. This paradox reveals a critical truth: Contemporary parenting requires a shift from authority to empathy, from instruction to interaction, and most importantly, knowledge can only be effective when combined with a flexible parenting model, an updated understanding of authority, and strong emotional literacy.