It is interesting having younger Gen Z/early Gen Alpha kids in my life who are close to me and allow me a window into current youth culture. The kids were born in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2019, respectively.
Everything seems to undulate in waves, cultural ephemera cycling through coolness or uncoolness, often in ironic ways. For example, when I was in middle school, everyone wore Uggs, and maybe a little before that, when I was 9 or 10, people still wore flare jeans. Then Uggs went out of fashion for years and everyone started wearing skinny jeans. But now the girls I mentor are really into Uggs and want multiple pairs of them. They wear flare jeans and baggy jeans, Crocs, tracksuits, and other Y2K fashion that is currently dominating other trends.
I feel like I am literally re-living my late elementary and middle school years when I'm with the kids. It's sort of healing since I have so much more life experience now. I am in a position where I can offer them advice and guide their thinking and development ever so slightly. There was no one like me in my own life when I was their age, and my parents were so much older than me that their experiences didn't feel particularly relevant, not to mention I didn't trust them enough to ever tell them much about my life.
These kids tell me a lot about their lives and they trust me a lot. I let them get away with a lot and give them as much freedom as I possibly can. Kids are oppressed enough by pretty much all other adults in their lives. It is very special to get to be the adult who gives them greater access to the world and treats them with trust and gains access to their inner worlds.
