Stop telling me what's wrong with our kids

Nearly every day, I see an article online about what's wrong with our kids, from teenage boys to toddlers. Speaking from the view point of a mother who has both at the same time, I am so disappointed that this is the only way they seem to be perceived: as a problem that needs to be fixed.

My grandmother passed away recently. She was a woman who faced many challenges in her life and didn't always make the right decisions when it came to the best interests of her children, but she was passionate about always loving them for who they are. I learnt so much about the challenges of parenting from her and I will be forever grateful.

Our children are doing amazing. They are growing up in a world that is moving faster than any other time in history. No previous generation has had to adapt to the amount of technological, economical and climate change that they will have to do in their lifetime. As far as I am concerned, they are adapting incredibly well and in most cases, no thanks to us.

If we criticise our kids about being more sensitive, more distracted and harder to fit into a mould than previous generations, then we are being absolutely correct but incredibly unproductive. Why does that have to be bad thing? Children are constantly bombarded with real world concepts that we were sheltered from when news was only watched on television at night and only by grown ups. Children are expected to cope with the real world issues without in most cases having an age appropriate context to understand what is happening. We can't shelter our kids from the world. It's everywhere they look; TV, computer, phones and even at the petrol station when you are filling up the car, but we can treat them with the respect they deserve and have conversations with them and give them the tools that need to live in a world that doesn't sleep. I would much rather have a son who felt he could express his feelings to me, both good and bad, so that I could better understand his situation and hopefully give him the tools for further safe expression and continued communication, than make him feel that overwhelming emotions made him weak or inferior somehow and that expressing those feelings is wrong.

If I had a choice between reading a book or playing a game on my iPad when I was their age, I would have chosen iPad, and I love books. The lure of modern technology comes from smart marketing, inadequate arts funding for interactive creative projects and a bunch of dinosaurs who are still trying to compete with immediate, individualised, integrated programming and display an appalling lack  of the imagination and foresight required to embrace what could be an amazing partnership between the new and the old. When parents are so distracted themselves, not only by having to be a two income family just to make ends meet, and then catching up with the younger generation by trying to understand the technology and social media they use with such ingenious prowess, that any time left should be to focus on the children. This is where we as parents fail them, by scheduling in after school and weekend activities from sporting, music and extra academic lessons to fill the white noise that deafens you as a parent of a child that you can't connect with. Connection with our kids is what's missing, and that's where we are failing them and not the other way around.

If we could just spend more time teaching our kids about critical and creative thinking, using the technology they are comfortable with, then they can hold the key to their own salvation. The insatiable need we have to give our kids labels is making them think that if they don't have one, there must be something wrong with them. It's not normal to be normal anymore. We've taken everything that was done with the best of intentions and twisted it with political purpose or economic gain. Even play based learning, extra help in the classroom and children's mental health issues have been skewed so far from the essence of their original purpose that they end up in most cases doing our kids more harm than good. Our education system, child protection agency and health care system are broken and the good people within these organisations that are trying to do the best for our kids are fighting a losing battle. All of these things are our of our kids control and another example of how they are constantly reacting to the world around them in order to survive. There is no time to think.

I understand that our kids aren't perfect, but what more can you expect from an imperfect world? As a parent, I'm not going to beat myself up about that, mainly because I don't have the time or energy to dedicate to what society thinks of me or my children, but mostly because the time I do have is better spent letting my kids know how proud I am of everything they are achieving and how much I'm looking forward to seeing the men they will become. I also let them know how sorry I am that the world they have to grow up in, the world that my generation was meant to fix, is a world full of 'ifs' and 'buts', without a clear answer of why things are the way they are or a united, safe and secure direction for the future. I believe with all my heart that the next generation, when we give them the support they need, not the criticism they definitely don't deserve, then and only then will they be the ones who really can make the world a better place.

Share Your Story Australia

Share Your Story Australia is for aspiring authors who would like to get published but don't know where to start. If you would like to learn from published authors and industry professionals as they share the story behind the story, book now for one of our meet up events. The journey towards publication is different for each of our guest speakers and they will be sharing tips, trials and triumphs in a series of talks and Q and A panels in our one day seminars or providing hands on, practical information in our workshops. If you have a story you are wanting to get published, come and hear from those who have been there, done that to learn what worked and what to avoid. We will also be showcasing the guest authors works and they would love to personally sign books for you on the day. You will also have the opportunity to share your story in an open mic session and get feeback from industry professionals. Topics we cover in our workshops and seminars include self publishing vs traditional publishing, the submission process, marketing, social media for authors and industry trends.


Join us on Meet Up: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/Share-Your-Story-Australia/

LinkedIn Masterclass with Julie Mason

Businesses large or small that want more referrals, leads and sales with quality prospects and clients using LinkedIn have a powerful ally – Julie Mason. The highly-motivated businesswoman, keynote speaker and author loves nothing more than demystifying LinkedIn and sales strategy.

These days, Julie is known as ‘The Social Media Princess’ a name aptly bestowed upon her by her clients for her ability to make the confusing world of social media simple to understand and use, strategic, profitable and fun!

Through her coaching programs, speaking events and online webinars, Julie has helped and inspired thousands of people to make a significant difference in their business using social media and LinkedIn.

Julie is a passionate LinkedIn expert and specialises in creating strategies that promote your brand, enhance your reputation and generate big money leads for your business.
Julie’s message is simple – “With over 80% of B2B conversions coming from LinkedIn, can you afford not to use it correctly?”

Starting her first foray into cold-calling at the tender age of 5 years old, Julie was on a mission to raise money for the poor people through selling her crayola and paddle-pop stick masterpieces. She returned home to her shocked mother rattling her bag full of coins with great success! This was the start of Julie’s love affair with sales.

Julie has over 25 years experience in traditional sales and 15 years in door-to-door cold calling prior to discovering social media and starting to use those tools to build two successful businesses herself using the methods she now teaches others.

In the past 12 months Julie’s clients have generated over $1,000,000 using simple strategies that are proven to work. Whether to position yourself as an Authority in your niche or to generate quality leads and sales, Julie has a strategy that will be tailored for your business needs.
For more details, follow Julie on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/GuruJules/
Tea and Coffee Provided. Bookings essential.

The Colmslie Hotel
Wynnum Road
Brisbane, QLD 4170
Australia

Saturday, 22 April 2017 from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm (AEST)

Book Now https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/linkedin-masterclass-with-julie-mason-tickets-31020262440

                          

Why Social Media for Authors only works if it's "Social".

Just posting on Facebook won't help you sell more books. There is no hard and fast rule that says the more you are online, the more people will become part of your community. When, when and how you post on social media is about more than quantity. It's about making a connection.

There is only one 'Do'...Have Fun!

If you are not enjoying spending your precious time marketing online, your readers probably aren't enjoying the experience either. Are you frustrated because you are not getting enough sales for your efforts? Then stop, because you are doing it not only for the wrong reasons, but you are posting the wrong content, at the wrong time, in the wrong way. If you were your audience, how would you feel about what you are posting? Is it fun, engaging and helpful? Be yourself. Only 30% of what you post should be about sales and marketing, the rest should be building a community of like-minded people who share common ground, so share what you feel comfortable. You need to be consistent, like a morning paper, that people can read over a cup of coffee at their own leisure, but there every day with a new snippet of information. When you have established your communities trust, then you can start planting that ground with the seeds that you are a trusted source of information. Once that has grown, you can start to harvest the crops that you have planted in the form of book sales, in an organic way. It takes time so you might as well enjoy the ride.


The 'Don'ts'

Don't post about your books every day.

Don't join every book group on Facebook and spam them with marketing.

Don't be negative

Don't worry if it feels like no one is listening

Don't post anything that could come back to haunt you

Don't post anything you wouldn't want your granny to read

Don't underestimate the power of social media

Talk soon
x Michelle