Yes, It's a Girl! : 9 ways fathers can empower their daughters

You wake up one day, and you realize you are the father of a baby girl. All of the sudden it hits you and you start asking yourself, "what am I going to do? I need to learn about "girl stuff."  You start thinking about all the things women go through and what future your daughter may have. It seems challenging, right?

Well, as a father, you have more power of influence than you may think. Girls are usually drawn to their fathers and sometimes parents don't realize how much influence they can have on their children's future.

My dad is a retired police officer. I remember when I was in first grade, and I took a 'police department button' and wore it on my school uniform. I went to school feeling so proud. However, my sister's friends started to make fun of me. Even though I was upset because of that, my father supported me which made me feel empowered and better.

I was always a curious kid. I loved fixing things and learning how things worked. I always found all the things that my father did around the house fascinating. Still to this day, whenever he is doing or fixing something, I sit next to him and try to learn or help in any way I can. The good thing is that he allows me to do it.

It doesn't matter in what field you are involved and what your daughter's skills are, there's always a way in which you can connect with her and mentor her. In a world where there's so much work disparity between men and women, men are called to use the power they have to raise a new generation of confident, independent, and courageous women.  It is as simple as allowing your daughter to experience and share with you things that you do on a day-to-day basis; encouraging them to ask, to participate, and to share experiences with you.

These are some things that I experienced with my dad, and that allowed me not to be afraid to get into a male-dominated industry and stay in it for over twenty (20) years.

1. Try not to impose "girly" expectations- "girls wear pink and boys wear blue" paradigm is outdated. Growing up I loved the color blue, I used to like jeans, flip flops, short hair, and t-shirts. I loved Barbie dolls too, but I also enjoyed playing with marbles and assembling things; activities that were not "girly things-to-do" when I was growing up. I was always labeled as a "tomboy, " and I felt that my dad never judged but embraced that aspect of me. Allow your daughter to experience different aspects of life. If you also have boys, let her play with them. Teach them that they need each other. Women and men need each other to succeed. Show her how to ask men for help in a positive, non-competitive way but also in a confident and assertive manner. 

2. Teach her not to wait for the "perfect prince" to come and take care of her - we are taught that one day we'll meet the perfect guy that will take care of us. There's nothing wrong with meeting that guy, but we should not look at him as our savior. Fathers are role models for their daughters. They should teach them how to think independently, to pursue a career, not to have someone to fall back on. Fathers should encourage their daughters to develop their skills and grow as a well-rounded person. Men and women should create a partnership in which they support, teach, and help one another so that both parties can grow and succeed. My dad always said to me " Dale pa'lante" (which means "go for it" in Spanish). He said it, and I did it! 

3. Allow her to participate in the things you do - my father is very crafty. He was always doing things around the house. I loved observing him. He always allowed me to help. As a teenager, I was always changing the layout of my room. I never asked for any help. I moved things around and put things on the wall by myself. I would go to his tools closet and look around. I loved it! I remember one time looking for a phone cable to run an extension cord from my parent's bedroom to mine so that I could have a phone in my room. I remember doing the installation while I was home alone. When my parents got home, they couldn't believe it. They were pleasantly surprised, and I felt very accomplished. Years later, when I had to direct 200 men in a Public Works department, and I said that I wanted to try to operate a Digger and a Grader, my employees couldn't believe it. They were happy to teach me, and it allowed me to understand and support their craft as well as to gain their respect. 

4. Have 'daddy-daughter' time with her (lunch meetings) - take the time to spend special time with your daughter. Make it a "lunch meeting" and discuss future projects and plans. Let her speak up about the things she likes. Give your opinion to her without dominating the conversation. Listen and exchange ideas. This action will teach her how to express herself confidently; without fear of rejection. These days, it's me who invite my dad to lunch meetings. He stares at me and listens, but now, I am the one letting him speak and trying not to dominate the conversation.

5. Praise her confidence - give her feedback. Praise the fact that she dares to do or say something. Explain to her that she doesn't have to succeed at everything, that failure is part of the process. Women tend to take defeat from the heart. We think that if we fail at something, then, we "are" a failure. Teach her that to grow and become a better person, you will have to experience failure. Let her know that occasional failure is okay and that she will have people around that will support her and help her move forward.

6. Talk to her about 'boy stuff'' - share with her how guys think. Tell her to embrace differences between boys and girls. When I was a kid, there was one time when I wished I were a boy. I saw them having so much fun, and everything seemed to be so much easier for them. Society teaches us that "girls don't this or don't do that." In particular cases, that might be true, but we need to explain why. Sometimes we blame boys for things that are not their fault, it's just that we are different. We often talk about men having to understand women, but women also need to know and understand men.

7. Allow her to talk about 'girls stuff' - I always talked to my father about everything. I still do. The first time I liked a guy, I told him first. When I was 15 yrs old, I had a couple of bad experiences at school. I waited a long time to say anything to him. When I finally told him, he said to me that when something bad happens, you need to address it quickly. He also took the opportunity to talk to me about life. He said, "well, when have I said to you that life is easy?". That was an eye opener for me. At that moment, I understood that you can expect as much good as bad from life and that it is okay to experience sadness, frustration, and pain sometimes.

8. Be honest about your fears and challenges - talk to them about your challenges and concerns. Being afraid is okay. Sometimes we think that men are not scared of anything, but sometimes they are. Talking to your daughter about it will give her a perspective of equality. If you can be afraid, and you are successful, then it's okay for her to experience the same feeling. 

9. Be there for her and just enjoy seeing her grow - have fun being a father of a girl. It's awesome for a girl to know that a male figure will always be there for her and have her back. There will come a time in which your daughter will teach you and will take care of you. I am at that stage now with my father. He looks at me, and he smiles. We spend time reminiscing his days in the police department. I used to have boys come to me to tell me how cool it was that my dad was a police officer; I felt so proud! Now, when people go to him and ask him if he is my dad or shows him a project that I was involved with, he comes to me with the same sense of pride. 

Congratulations to you if you have a daughter! You have a great responsibility but also a wonderful opportunity to make this world one where she feels empowered, capable, embraced, and happy! Go for it or as my dad would say, "mi'ja dale pa'lante"!

Thinking about Life

Since I was a little girl, I have been amazed by how unpredictable, and complicated life could be. I have always had a feeling of lack of control when thinking about our journey through life.  I have heard so many theories about the evolution of the Earth and the Universe, and it does not make sense to me how nature can be so perfectly designed but at the same time so randomly unpredictable.

I have finally given up on it. I do not want to know where we come from or why things happen anymore.  Last year was especially
challenging for us.  It was filled with unexpected illness in our family, financial strain, and unusual events. When that happens, you feel impotent and with a sense of unfairness.  At the same time, you ponder what's important in life.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of living to acquire and accomplishing things. Since that is the way society measures success, we all do it and get overwhelmed by it.  It is so nice to have the ability to buy whatever we want, whenever we want to, right?   However, it is tough to balance life so that we can work and get the things we want to but we can also spend time with our families, relax, appreciate nature, meditate, and become more connected as a person.

What is it that we read so much about how important taking care of ourselves is but we cannot seem to apply it consistently in our lives?  In the past few years, I have made drastic decisions in my career path.  Decisions that have impacted my life in a very positive way.  We, as a family, have had to make some financial adjustments but to my surprise even when at the beginning it made me feel really anxious, it has not been as difficult as I thought it would be.

As a society, we have lost so much in our quest to become "successful" people. We do not have time for anything anymore. This past holiday season I was amazed how everything was done electronically.

 

We do not connect with people anymore. We do not receive holiday cards anymore; we do not bake, we do not cook, we do not sing. I have personally refused to stop doing the fun things that made life a special one.

I enjoy so much sitting down and writing a note to my family and friends wishing them a wonderful new year.  I love taking pictures and sharing them with the people I care about.  It is one of the things that bring me so much joy.

It is interesting how taking a picture has become a sin these days. People are so afraid that a picture is going to end up on the internet that I wonder what is going to happen when we pass away, and our kids do not have a tangible memory of all the moments they shared with us.

I refuse to become paranoid about this. Am I cautious? Yes, I am.  However, I am also aware of all the joy that is reminiscing my childhood by looking at old photos and videos brings to my life. Every time we want to have a good laugh, we put on an old family movie and re-live those moments when our daughter was little and spent time with my parents and all the happiness they experienced with her.

Life is time-bounded. We are born, and there's going to be an end. We should not look at life as it is going to be eternal because when we do that, we always procrastinate having fun and enjoying the present.

We often think that "when we retire" we are going to enjoy life. What we do not think about is that if we did not take care of ourselves because we were always working, when we retire we could face so much tiredness and illness or many other situations that they will prevent us to enjoy it.

We should make our priority to live in the present. Life will take care of itself and when our time comes to leave this planet, our family will always treasure those moments and will remember us with joy and happiness. That is the true purpose of our journey. Have a wonderful year!

"Focusing on the positive"

 "Focusing on the positive" is easier said than done. I do not know if it's me but lately, everywhere I go or everything that I come across with on social media or at the bookstore, seems to have a message related to this. It's always related to how we need to create or  think of what we want for it to materialize in our lives. 

Don't get me wrong, I believe in this but frankly it is easier said than done. I come from a very realistic, "feet on the ground" upbringing. I was raised believing that if you want something, you need to work for it; otherwise, it will not become a reality. I was raised thinking that you need to deserve things and earn things. But what happens when you start working and working and sometimes things do not happen to you. 

Sometimes, you see lazy people, liars, and cheaters getting away with it. Hmmm, so...then, what is wrong with the "working and working" philosophy? What's wrong with the "do good things and good things will come to you? To tell you the truth after reading and struggling to apply concepts discussed on lots of books that I've read about spirituality, secrets, and living my best life, I've come to realize that we definitely have the power to turn a negative thought into a positive one; however, it takes a lot of determination and perseverance to see even a glimpse of  a positive outcome.

Every day I start the day meditating on God and giving thanks for what He has done for me. I have to admit that if it wasn't for Him (that invisible and untouchable force that we ALL feel inside ourselves), I'd have become an extremely negative and sour person. A person full of self-pity, resentment, and paralyzed by fear. I grew up with a lot of insecurities that still to this day are triggered by certain situations but that I have certainly learned how to manage.

 By forcing myself to think positive and turn those fears and angry feelings into more positive ones, I have been able to forgive, to help those who have hurt me, to look past injustice, to go on after disappointments, to keep dreaming about a better future, to learn how to be content with or without money, to adapt to impromptu changes, and to love and accept myself.

It's not an easy task and it's extremely difficult to conquer. We are surrounded by so many people and situations that bring negativity to our lives. Unless you are the Dalai Lama, who can go and live in the Tibet, we need to face the world. There is lack of resources, health issues, stress at work or at home, just to name a few of those things that make us feel powerless. I have experienced in the past driving back from work and I feel like driving to "Never Found Land".

After so many years of being determined to think and act on a more positive way, I have come to identify certain things that I can do to make my life a happier one. I will share these things that have worked for me and that I work on continuously. Here they are:

1. Give thanks to God, the Universe, Mother Nature for being YOU. You are unique and wonderful. 
2. Thank everyone that help you. Be nice to others even if they don't understand why you are being nice to them.
3. Remember every day all the progress you have made in life.
4. Meditate on the good people that you have in your life (family, friends, colleagues). Those who really value you and make you feel good about yourself.
5. A "failure" (or something that didn't happen they way you expected) is another learning experience to become a better "you", 
6. Take risks. Life is full of beautiful moments, opportunities, countries, cultures. Why would you live your life in a place that makes you feel miserable, in a job that doesn't allow you to do what you want, surrounded by people that don't value you. Get up and try something new.... you will be surprised of how easy it is to step outside of the box.
7. Put on music in the car, at the office, while working out; music makes all of us feel better. Listen to those old songs that made you smile and dance. 
8. Treat yourself with good food. Food that makes you feel energized and healthy.
9. Look at your husband/wife and children.  Wonder how many happy times you've spent together. How blessed you are that life gave them to YOU, 
10. When you fall down, when you get angry, when you feel sad..... experience those emotions to the maximum. Let it go and get up on your feet again. Go back to No. 1 and ENJOY your life.

Many blessings!

LIFE Topic # 4: Is getting older that bad?

This little guy here made my teen yrs better!

To tell you the truth my teenage years were extremely challenging. They were full of stress and lack of confidence. As I struggled with that, I always caught myself dreaming about getting older. Then, when time started to fly and I looked at my younger self photos, I saw this beautiful young lady that wasted so much time trying to prove herself physically, intellectually, and emotionally to others.

Putting on makeup. Happy kid!

My 20s were about work and more work. During that journey I became so busy with balancing work and family life that I don't even have deep memories of an entire decade. The whole 30s went by so fast that when I try to focus on the events, I can't say that I have a good recollection of me as an individual.  I do remember myself as a professional though. I remember the accomplishments as director or managing projects; however, I have no awareness of my emotions or even my dreams at that time. 

My 40s have been a real eye-opener. The 40s have been a challenge. I have had to work on myself more than I had imagined. It's like re-learning life. It's like questioning why I am doing this and what for. Let's see:

My Health

I am a pretty healthy person and I try not to pay too much attention to illness. However, for some reason for the last two years I have been feeling every ache and pain that a body can experience. Exercising (which I personally don't like) has had to become a habit for me because if I don't do it, my body feels stiff and achy. Nutrition has become priority number one. I love salty snacks and carbs. Ooops! ...that translates to 1 or 2 extra pounds if I eat it all on the same week. 

Trying to lose weight has always been an issue for me and in the process I have tried diet pills, starving diets, gyms, insane workouts and nothing has steadily worked. Recently, I think I have finally come to peace with an eating style that seems to be working, although I will never be a size 2. A size 4 on certain dresses fits but jeans? OMG! but I am okay with that. Eating a good protein based meal, lots of vegetables, and minimum amounts of fat is working okay for me these days. I have my cravings and I succumb to them once in a while but I have to watch carefully whatever I eat.

My Career

Where do I start on this one? Having to reinvent yourself in your 40s after having a successful career for over 20 years can send you to a deep depression. Moving to a new country and having to explore new ways of working has been challenging. Questioning yourself why do I need to prove myself again is something that can tear apart your emotions. However, I think that life is full of opportunities. I would love to be in a steady stage of my career life right now but I am not, so this is an opportunity for me to learn new things and new aspects of myself. I have to say that some days I feel thrilled about it but other times, I feel like quitting. In a general sense I can say that this situation has helped me to improve my networking skill and leadership abilities. Although I still struggle with it, looking at work as a mean and not as the goal and understanding that I am not defined by my career anymore has been liberating.

My Emotions/Inner self

Happiest day of my life

Oh well, what a cathartic experience writing this section will be. I have been experiencing each one of the emotions that exist, the good ones and the bad ones. Gratitude, excitement, happiness but also frustration, sadness, and lack of control. Why? Because at this age you know that time is running; because I know that whatever I decide now will have a huge influence on my elder years. Because I see my daughter making decisions leading her to a path of independence and I agree with some of the decisions and disagree with others and it is a struggle. Because I see my hair, body, and face changing. Because I see my husband's changing. Because we see how illness is taking people we love away from us and that makes us think, "was this worth it?", "was that worth it?".

Living a very simple life- Very happy!

My Relationships

I have always been socially awkward. My lack of confidence made me withdraw myself from interacting well with family and friends. As I have become older, I have done a lot of work in this area pushing myself into interacting and losing the fearful attitude; understanding that what people say is not necessarily a reflection of myself but a reflection of themselves. 

I have been able to put aside my disagreements with what some people think about and keep in contact with them based on the significance and value of our relationship. I call, I text, I facebook with those whom I love. I find time to send a hello note, to share pictures and comments, to laugh with them even though sometimes it is through social media. This has made my life better. It doesn't matter what people think about me anymore, if you are important to me, I will take the time to connect with you. At the end of the day, when that person leaves the planet or when I leave the planet, that connection is the only thing that will last.

My parents

I forgave a long time ago any mistake they could have made.  They loved me and that is what matters.  We, as human beings, can make profound mistakes in the process of loving our kids. We reflect our inner fears on our kids and that is the base for saying and doing things that hurt them sometimes.  We don't want our kids to go through the same challenging things we have experienced in life. 

My mom making crafts with my daughter

Whatever mistakes my parents made, they are all gone. It's gone and I am here to be with them. For instance, do I disagree with my dad on certain things? Yes, I do. However, when that happens, I try to remember every time he dropped me off at or picked me up from school. I remember when he lost an entire night transcribing an English project for me because I had typed it all wrong, when he would go out and buy whatever fast food we wanted just because we wanted it. My mom? she passed away and that hurt so much. However, I gave God thanks every day for allowing me to give her a grandchild and for being able to see how much love she had inside of her. Through her interaction with my daughter she also loved me, she said things to me that I wanted to hear. I try to honor her teachings in everything I do and live by some of the advice her older-self gave me before leaving this world.

Enjoying a cup of coffee after hiking.  

Is getting older that bad?

No, it's not. Getting older is good. Getting older is like hiking a tall mountain (I love hiking). At the beginning, it's easy. You start walking with a fast flow and excitement. As you keep hiking, the pathway becomes more difficult. You become tired, you have to stop, and you even wonder if you should give up and quit. When you are getting close to the top of the mountain, you become excited again and you look back down and see how far you have come. You see the entire view ...and you get it... and you enjoy it.

 That's when you see that the journey has all been worth it!

LIFE Topic # 3: The "Worry" Gene

I have always being a very aware person. For some reason, I notice everything around me even when I am not trying to pay attention. It's odd because one of the stories my mom used to tell about me was how absent minded I was when I was a baby. I was so distracted that when I was 3-yrs old she took me to a therapist to see what was wrong with me. They did a psychometric test on me and she told my mom not to "worry" about it.

Funny, how we worry about everything. If there's a character trait I would definitely adjust in myself, it'd have to be the "worry" gene. I call it like that because one of my supervisors once told me that I had it. He said to me "you have the "worry" gene. You worry about everything and 90% of the time those things you worry about never happen and the other 10%, have a solution". 


I often think about it. I have read and still read so many books about this topic. I want to understand where this excessive worry comes from.  I think all of my immediate relatives got it too. It's a well-discussed topic in family reunions.  I have to say though that there's an upside to this behavior. People like us are usually very good planners, extremely responsible, well organized, great problem-solvers, and very aware of other people's needs. Those are all great character traits that everyone around us benefits from. 

I can sit down here and make a great case on how worrying makes you more responsible and makes your life better but I can also tell how much impact it has had on my physical, emotional, and spiritual health. After all of these years trying to be the "perfect" student, the "perfect" employee, and the perfect "everything", I have realized that trying to have the "perfect" life is a waste of time. It's like a never-ending marathon. The more you run towards the goal, the more the finish line moves away from you.

What's the point then? Why do we have the need to have everything perfect so that we can have fun and enjoy life? Why do we obsess about having the house clean before going out?  I have come to realize that if we engage in this type of behavior, what seems perfect today won’t seem as perfect tomorrow. There's always somebody that is better at what we do. There's always an unplanned event that occurs and makes our "perfect plan" not work. When that happens, we can't enjoy ourselves and even worse, we make the people around us feel guilty if they try to enjoy themselves. Why? Because we need them to feel as bad as we feel.

 So, how can we keep the benefits of having the worry gene and minimize the disadvantages? This is something I work on every day but that I am mastering more and more as time goes by. I try to use my "awareness" to fight my brain and my behavior (what I can control)  instead of using it to fight external things (what I can't control).

I try not to create a "mental story" (phrase used by one of my relatives that has the "worry" gene) and just play along with it. When this happens I ask myself if it was done on purpose. That way I don't take it personal.  My first reaction is usually to take it personal and making it about me when most of the times people don't even realize the effects of their actions.

The second thing I try to do is to take a moment to let my frustration go so that my feelings don't get in the way (very difficult thing to do). Sometimes it requires a day or two before you can verbally articulate anything. Then, I just let it go and move on. Yes, move on. 

Don't get me wrong, I still plan and do my best and struggle with the worry and the expectations every day. However, I am really working on having joy in my life regardless of what the outcomes are. I tell myself all the time that I have to enjoy life, embrace the moment and go along with the present. I also tell myself that what others do is their responsibility. If I can help them, I will but if I can't, I won't feel guilty.


I try to enjoy the moment and be present. I try not to think about the past or worry too much about the future. I try to let my family enjoy what they are doing and not to plan things for them. I try to listen to what their plans are and respect them. I try not to intervene in everything I see. I try to enjoy silence and I try to lead by example rather than by words.

I am far away from my goal which is to have joy and express joy to everyone around me. I work on it every day and thank God and the universe for allowing me to understand the importance of this before it is too late. I hope that if you struggle with the "worry" gene, the same way I do, that you can learn how to stop worrying and start living!

LIFE Topic # 2: Citizen of the World-The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence

My beautiful Puerto Rico

Being from Puerto Rico I must say that politics and the political status of the island mold everything.  Given that fact, some would say that I'm definitely an irreverent independent due to the love I have for my country, others would say that I am pro-statehood because of many of the US-American customs and life styles that I use in my family and work life. Others would definitely say that I'm a mix of the best of both worlds, therefore I have to be pro-commonwealth. The reality is that I am a 100% proud "Boricua" but I love learning from other countries and cultures and I treasure the good things they also have to offer.  I've never understood the animosity towards the people that live outside of their countries. However, I can totally understand the feeling of seeing so many Boricuas that all of the sudden find everything wrong with the same culture that made them who they currently are.

I consider myself a citizen of the world. To me, it is  very difficult to understand why we can't love the good things that the entire world has to offer and reject those negative things any country has. It'd be so much easier and liberating being able to do that. I find it funny how people sometimes try to assimilate just to "fit in" and other people don't leave their status quo because if they did, they'd see themselves as traitors.

How incredible it is that one must always wear a label.  You are either pretty or ugly. You 're tall or short, fat or skinny, successful or unsuccessful .  You either stay in your country because you love it or you leave it because you don't like it. Well, at this stage of my life I don't see things as black or white. I've been labeled in one category or the other at different points in my life, so I don't really care that much what people think. Everything will depend on the circumstances. You value diversity and learn to respect different views. I think all cultures have things to improve but they also have good things to emulate.

When we decided to move to the United States in the late 90's, there were many things we had to learn (not only the language). We moved to a very rural area where there was no cultural diversity. Basically, the entire population was white people, people did not know where Puerto Rico was, much less they knew that Puerto Rico was a U.S. territory. 

To our surprise we were greeted with open arms.They were concerned to learn more about our country and they even asked my husband to speak at schools about Puerto Rico and its culture. However, the winter seasons were cruel (such as 30 degrees below zero) and detachment from our family and friends was hard to manage.  Living there was an enriching experience that I wouldn't trade for anything else. While I missed the sun, the beaches, and the hustle of the Caribbean cadence, I also enjoyed the peace, the connection with nature, and the kindness of the people who do not have much to do. This environment of little noise brings out the best in people. You enjoy every simple experience and you welcome it. It's amazing how we always say that progress will improve our lives. However, time has taught me that the only things that improve our life are love, the ability to adapt to change, the attitude towards change, and the perseverance to achieve what we want, despite of change.

I've always heard that one should not be changing jobs or places of residence too often because "on the

Our motto wherever we live

other side of the fence, the grass is not greener ." To some extent, that saying is true. No matter where you go human beings have the same needs, issues, uncertainties, desires, and experiences. It is our ego that makes us believe superior or inferior to other cultures. What I know for sure is that although grass is green on its original color, it will depend on its care and the environment to maintain that color. In drought, it starts to get orange, then yellow. During winter season, they can be crystallized from cold or disappear before the snow fall . The grass adapts to change in order to survive. So can we. We can enjoy the change learning to survive and make the best out of it.

When we experienced the 1997 ice storm that hit Upstate New York, my

Upstate NY '97 Ice Storm

husband and I had to adapt very quickly to living without electricity for several weeks. I was pregnant at that time and we had this fabulous fireplace which we thought was the perfect area to warm up and enjoy. Unfortunately, it became a nightmare during the ice storm  as every twenty minutes we had to fill it with charcoal to stay a little bit warm. The temperature inside the house was in the low 50s and we had to go to a shelter where the food was "terrible" and my pregnancy felt worse than terrible. Still, we adapted and we even managed to get a few laughs out of the whole situation.

My baby and I freezing

Three years we lived up there. I will always have unique memories of our stay in Upstate New York. We moved back to Puerto Rico and life took us back to the United States (this time to New Jersey). Yes, back to the United States, where the grass changes color , where you miss the Caribbean evergreen steadiness but where life also gives you the opportunity to being a citizen of the world and appreciating both.

LIFE Topic # 1: The Millennials

Time Magazine Article on Millennials

I am hearing a lot of buzz regarding the "Millennials". Yes, those who were born between 1980s and 2000s. Some also call them Generation Y. The Millennials are often described as confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat, and open to change**. They are also impatient, focused on themselves, and not willing to compromise on certain matters they think are non-negotiable.

I have to admit that sometimes I have been guilty of judging them    as not committed, selfish, and lazy (as shown on the Time Magazine  Cover) but in reality what happens is that they see the world  through a different perspective. Even though I am from the "Generation X", I was raised by "Baby Boomers" and "The Silent Generation" and I have a lot of their influence. These two generations were people that were trying to conquer the world and breaking the established but they were also people that respected the authority figures in a very extreme fashion; to the point that sometimes they sacrificed their own rights. That being said, having both, a member of the "Millennials" and a member of the "Silent Generation" living in my household, is quite a challenge sometimes. 

For example, you can see how my father doesn't understand the whole practice of "working from home". Every

Millennials

time I stay at home working, he asks me "what are you doing here?" or "did you take the day off?”. On the other hand, my daughter swears that she will never work in an office from 8-5 pm. 

I remember one day, when she was 9 yrs. old, she came home very upset. She said that the principal of her school had done something to a student that she considered unfair. She wanted to send an email to the principal expressing her opinion. I wanted to die. I felt proud because she had a strong feeling and opinion about it but at   the same time I couldn't understand how this young kid (I don't want to say the words I'm thinking in Spanish), had the confidence to wanting to email the school's maximum authority. Of course, I didn't let her do it but I had to sit down and explain to her why sometimes it is better not to react so quickly to our feelings.

My Father & Daughter

I think this generation is perfectly suited for the world they are living in. Even though I have some disagreements on certain aspects with the Millennials, I have to say that sometimes I wish I had more of their free-spirited personality and confidence. They go for the things they want in life and from life, and they have their priorities very clear. Another thing I admire about them is that they are not afraid of changing minds about things. Older generations would stay on the same job for 30 yrs. even when they were extremely unhappy. This generation would change jobs (sometimes too often) until they find what they like.

Three Generations together

It is an interesting dynamic and I can see it unfolding in my own house all the time. I am looking forward to the challenge and I am also looking forward to learning from them. I'm sure we can teach each other one or two things, right?

**Definition taken from website: "www.pewsocialtrends.org"