A Millennial Mom’s Eyes On Gen Alpha
My most important role will always be that of mommy to both Jeffrey Michael Gambrell II and Galia Gabé Gambrell.
Before I go too much further, big shout out to my dear friend and fellow Gen Alpha mom, Sheinelle Jones whose debut book Through Mom’s Eyes recently listed as #1 on The New York Times’ bestseller’s list! Absolutely Incredible! When I think of being a parent to Gen Alpha children she absolutely comes to mind as an exceptional mother.
When I tell you Gen Alpha children are different…..they’re different from millennials in every way. Gen Alpha are completely unapologetic about everything, they question anything, and desire to be a boss – in a way that I've truly never seen before. However, they, like other generations, still desire structure and progression. The blessing of having both a girl and boy brings its own parenting uniqueness as well. Though they’re besties, what works for my son, may not work for my daughter and vice versa.
Additionally, I must add that I often reflect on how different the Gambrell kids' lives are compared to my childhood. Though my parents were married for well over 20 years, and met each other at 3 years old, I have very few memories of my children showing love and affection. On the contrary, my children remind my husband and I that we're boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, and even ask quite often about our next date night. Because I am a millennial, I have photos of scrap books of my dating years visibly throughout the house and in my phone and my children love seeing a glimpse of their parents' early love. This also is representative that my children’s ideas of love, relationships are different from mine too.
Growing up, I learned that marriage was a business first, and perhaps that’s because my mother didn’t work full-time, my father financially handled everything, but my mother did support side gigs, and a few fun passion revenue streams for the family – such as leading fashion shows, creating and awarding talent showcases, and creating beauty pageants to name a few. As a millennial, I still believe that marriage is a business transition, but love is what the heart of the relationship needs to be in order to be successful and weather the test of time.
Parenting has always been about preparing kids for the best possible future by teaching them everything that you know for sure, and even things you do not know. For instance, my husband and I cannot swim…though I took lessons a few years ago – I still cannot even float! Sheinelle actually tried to help me out with that during my recent birthday trip to Puerto Rico. As we speak, my kids are currently at their swim lessons having a ball and making great progress.
In our technology focused world, culture and politics impact parenting and Generation Alpha is growing up in a world where digital life and real life are inseparable. According to Fortune, nearly one in three Gen Alpha kids between ages 12 and 15 desire to become YouTubers as their full-time occupation. It’s quite interesting and makes me think, do they desire fame, easy going life, nontraditional hours, working from the comfort of their house, doing something for work that they also do for fun. In fact, another 21% of Gen Alpha say that their dream is to be a TikTok creator. Yes, these are jobs that did not exist 25 years ago, yet for today’s children they feel achievable and have proven to be quite lucrative.
Jeffrey Gambrell II & Galia “Gigi” Gambrell
It is not hard to see why. Gen Alpha has grown up watching creators turn videos into financial empires. Unlike movie stars or professional athletes, these digital figures feel accessible and relatable. Kids see them on their phones every day, and they can easily imagine themselves stepping into those same roles – versus a professional athlete role that may require a specific type of athleticism, or perhaps even height or bodytype, there are all types of creators that look like themselves.
Surprisingly, according to the survey, the pull of more traditional paths has not totally vanished. 20% of Gen Alpha kids want to become doctors or nurses, 19% hope to design video games, 17% want to be entrepreneurs, and 14% aspire to become teachers. They have one foot in the digital world of influencers and streamers and another in the established world of medicine, education and arts. We must acknowledge though that Gen Z recognizes that a doctor, nurse, video gamer, entrepreneur, and teacher can even be a content influencer, and thus earn multiple streams of revenue – because if you create good content – the subject matter doesn’t even matter. The previously desired, one job, one expertise fits all model is gone. When I think about this shift, I actually see more continuity than disruption. Millennials once dreamed of being actors, pop stars, or athletes, but for Gen Alpha, the stage has changed but the desire may actually be the same. They want to be creators, leaders, and voices that people look up to – and I actually never ever see that changing.
