Generational gaps have always been difficult to navigate but never more so than today. We all remember reading articles about parents in the 60's who were terrified of the bad influence The Beatles were having on their kids. And the abject horror when the bikini came into the scene instead of the very modest one-piece bathing suit. We laugh at that now, thinking of how wholesome The Beatles was compared to some of today's top hits and how we'd give anything for our girls to wear those old fashioned bikinis instead of the scraps they wear now. New fashion trends of jeans that come ripped, or t shirts that come with holes that looked like they were moth eaten are now the norm.
We were all there - at that moment when our parents or grandparents looked at us with confusion, trying to wrap their heads around our odd choices.
As we become adults, it's easy to forget that not so long ago, we were exactly like our kids, experimenting with whatever was out there, trying out different styles and ways to define who we were and where we belonged. We either followed the trend or chose to be brave and bucked it, knowing that we might be made fun of for the choices we made.
Growing up is hard. And fitting in is even harder. Trying to get your family and loved ones to understand you is sometimes the hardest thing.
Noticing everything that is different between you instead of focusing on what you have in common is a surefire way to widen that gap. The goal here is to narrow it. One way of doing that is by looking at photobooks together. Besides spending time together - which is something teenagers never want to do with their parents - it will give them a chance to see their parents in a different light. And that image of you in a weird hairstyle with a skirt that is probably too short while (gasp!) holding a cigarette, will remind them that when you were their age, you were also trying to figure life out - just like them.
Photobooks are a great way to find common ground with your kids. Finding out that you both lean towards bright red lipstick, or that you both share an obsession for shoes, or that maybe you too wore way too much makeup when you were just 15, will narrow that gap between you.
And it's so easy to do.
Start by pulling out those old albums - and start making it a priority to keep creating new ones. Once you've both established that you enjoy taking that walk down memory lane, it's also something you can work on together. Picking and choosing the best photos of your last vacation or for your Year In Review photobook.
You've now done the hard part - and the important part. This next step is the easiest.
Send those photos to us - we know just what to do with them to keep that gap as narrow as possible.
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