Netta Notes:

Gen = Abbreviation for Generation

Generation X - Born 1965 to 1980 (Gen Xers)

Generation Y - Born 1981 to 1996 (Millennials)

Generation Z - Born 1997 to 2010 (Gen Z)

Generation A - Born 2011 to current (Gen Alpha)

To read more about generation names and years, click here.

The other day, I sat in the living room, looking at my children. I’m staring at two different generations. At that moment, it dawned on me. My little ones are in generation alpha. Then my mind shifted to the thought of what is being passed down to the newest Generation. What are we teaching gen* alpha that we wish we did/didn’t teach gen Z? I’m from the X gen, so I worked very hard to ensure I did not pass on too much from my teachings from the WWI generation.

I taught my children differently than I was taught. Sure, there are sprinklings of my rearing here and there within my children. But I came up with my style of parenting that incorporates different aspects of life that I feel a child needs to know by certain milestones. I kept focusing on teaching my children the things I wished I had learned by that specific age. I also advocate for a child to have comfort in an open dialogue with their parents. I understand that this is something that some parents do not agree with, but I want to know the good, bad, and ugly that are on my child’s mind. They already know who I am because I don’t hide anything from them. I want them to feel that comfortable with their lives as well. So, I advocate for children to speak their minds respectfully. My generation had to endure hearing these words: Children are to be seen and not heard. I did not want that for the next generations. It just makes sense to teach the newest generation a bit of the old, but to discover things that may have been overlooked. The reason for this post is more so like a call to attention.

As a United States citizen, I see the revival of issues from generations past. It seems like the further along we get as a nation, cries from generations of old cry out to hold us back in a place that will not allow us to grow. Generation alpha should be able to show us baby boomers and millennials how we should have been living life. But if we keep throwing out all these fear-based issues and spoon-feeding them to the masses, we will continue to repeat the same issue generation after generation. It’s not just up to us to rid our families of generational curses; it is up to us as citizens of this nation to want to get rid of our nation’s generational curses. This nation has a nasty generational pattern that does not allow growth for all. This nation has a dirty, stormy generational design of making one race superior to others. We mask ourselves with the pride of our country and show our patriotism. We do all that to cover up the ugliness in the heart of America. It’s time to change that.

I feel that we need to vote with actual change in mind. We can’t look at future elections as “business as usual” anymore. We can’t just sit back and say, ‘somebody else will vote for him/her, and may the best person win.’ Being a backseat voter cannot count and has not been calculated at the polls. We need actual change and not just the damn slogan. If not for our generation, we need to pave the way for the newest generation that is already here.

We have to start using our common sense when voting for the people creating the laws that will affect generation alpha at one point in their lives. We have to start using our brains, phones, laptops, and computers to research the issues that we know will affect our family and see what a candidate stands for and what you need when it comes to being represented. Let’s stop putting someone in office because they represent our political party. If we don’t start doing the right thing in electing the right people into these offices of power, we will not gain any growth. We will never make America “great” by voting for the wrong people.

So, I urge all potential voters to vote based on someone who has shown that they can do what they say they can do. If the candidate talks more than their actions show, they may not be the right candidate. Vote for someone who has worked with or in the matters most important to you. Let’s stop voting simply to show political loyalty. If we want to remain united, we’ve got to start using common sense again. Stop thinking from a place of want and think of what’s needed. Stop thinking from an “it doesn’t matter anyway” mindset and adopt an “I will be heard” state of mind. Stop thinking from the point of greed for just a little bit and adopt a philosophy of “if we help our nation to prosper as a whole, our investment with increase tenfold.” Let’s get our core values fixed and revamped for the better. To do so, we must come together and vote for common sense.