03/11/2025
WE CAN’T ALWAYS USE OUR LENS TO MEASURE THEIR WORLD.
I watched Kuya Kim Atienza’s heartbreaking interview and one thing he said really stuck with me.
He said, "Tayo kasi, Jessica, alam natin kung anong tunay na buhay, alam natin kung anong social media, nahihiwalay natin. Hindi nila nahihiwalay. Nung pinanganak sila, meron nang social media. Sa kanila, ‘yan na ang reality kaya mahirap para sa kanila."
And my mind just clicked.
Because yes, that’s probably true.
We grew up without social media.
We had years of living life completely offline.
We know what it’s like to live in a world that isn’t constantly shared or compared.
But our kids? They’ll never really know that kind of world.
I look at Fai, I think about her routine, her days, her childhood that includes screens. It’s really different. Not just because of the devices, but because this generation moves and grows in a world that’s built so differently from the one we knew.
And when I think about what Kuya Kim said, I realize how true it probably is for so many in the younger generations. To them, the internet is the world. It’s where they learn, play, express, and connect. I can’t completely understand what that is like but I believe the words hold truth.
That made me realize something important about parenting in this time:
WE CAN’T ALWAYS USE OUR LENS TO MEASURE THEIR WORLD.
(Dili ni kalagot nga capslock haha disclaimer. I’m just really want to let that sink in.)
As so much of the world evolves, it would help if our perspectives as parents evolve too. Not to throw away traditions, but to keep an open mind. To listen, learn, and adapt to the world our children are growing up in.
What probably feels “too much,” “too fake,” or “too fast” for us might actually be normal for them because they were born into it.
So instead of trying to completely shield them from social media, maybe our role is to walk beside them through it.
To help them understand what’s real and what’s not.
To remind them that connection isn’t just found in followers or views, but in genuine moments, in kindness, in real relationships, in being fully present.
I think of parents working afar. How for them, the internet isn’t a distraction but a bridge. A way to love, to see, to still be there. This is the paradox of modern parenting noh, how the same thing that overwhelms us also keeps us connected. Really a challenging world we are navigating right now.
We may not completely understand how social media shapes our children’s world, but we can guide them through it with empathy.
By modeling balance, which, honestly, is one of the hardest but most important parts.
Because it starts with us learning restraint and discipline in our own usage too.
To show them that real-time, real-life conversations are more valuable.
To actually have the time to be fully present for that.
To show them that offline life still matters.
And to remind them, again and again, that their worth doesn’t need an audience.
Because maybe the best way to show up as parents today isn’t to make them live the world we once knew but to meet them where they are,
and teach them how to stay real in it. 🙏✨💖
