Harriette Cole: This is what we need from Gen Z, and what they need from us

DEAR READERS: Happy Thanksgiving! This time of year is always a favorite for me as it stands for family, community, good food and positive energy. I believe we all can appreciate a big dose of all of that right now!

I trust that you are choosing to put yourself in the company of people who love you. There is nothing better than experiencing love. I encourage you to claim it, first with self-love and second by being in the company of others.

For me, this Thanksgiving is especially meaningful because my daughter turns 21. What an amazing journey we have had together thus far.

It felt like a miracle when I was pregnant at age 42. My doctor called mine a “high-risk pregnancy” due to my age. She gave me many precautions. I had had a miscarriage three years earlier, so I was especially jittery about how this pregnancy would go. Yet somehow, I was overwhelmingly hopeful.

When I was pregnant, I called my daughter my angel and believed with all my heart that she would be perfect — and she is. I have continued to see her through that lens: She is my angel. She is a joy to be around, to engage in conversation and to observe — especially now.

Reaching adulthood brings with it many experiences and opportunities. As her mother, I see her as officially beginning to step into her power and practice the lessons she has learned along the way with greater authority.

I think about her and her friends and the many young people who are coming of age in our world, and I am hopeful. It is their turn to lead. They are inheriting all that generations before them have left — some of it good, some not so much — but it will be theirs to navigate.

We need our young adults to be conscious of their environments and each other as they make choices for their lives and, in turn, their world. We need them to be curious enough to dig deeper than whatever algorithm points them in a warped direction. We need them to be resilient and resourceful.

They need us to be their cheerleaders and sometimes their guides, but more often than not their supporters. We need to give them space to exercise their own ideas, to make mistakes and to learn from them and grow. For parents and other caring adults, this can be extremely difficult. It can be hard for us to give them space to be, but that is what they will be most grateful for — our respect, patience and unconditional love.

So I dedicate my column today to gratitude, sensitivity and awareness. Each of us has a chance to see others through tender eyes.

Those of us who have spent some time on the planet have the responsibility to pave the way for the next generation and to allow them to be themselves. We have to trust each other and find kind ways to express ourselves. It is then that we all can prosper.

I give thanks for this and pray that we all can remain aware of how to walk together toward the best possible outcomes.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions toaskharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.