How to bond with younger people

Are you in a workplace with a lot of people who are much younger to you, and you are finding it difficult to bond with them?
Are you teaching students who are much younger to you, and you find it difficult to step to their level of maturity or try to make them step up to yours?
Do you have children (who are obviously younger to you!), to whom you find it difficult to bridge their thoughts with yours?

Then don’t you worry. This is not a problem as of such. The need of the hour is a little bit of adjustment, understanding, and action on your part.

So what are the problems faced by the older folk with the younger folk…

- The older people have much more experience…and are sometimes not excited by things that makes the younger people excited. It’s like someone has already driven this car around for so many years…here is this younger person who is all excited about it.…therefore there is a lot of mismatch in the excitement and enthusiasm level. Haven’t you noticed how a graduate is excited about getting the first job, and how an experienced person is not that excited by a job change.
- Older people sometimes develop superiority complex. It’s like “Hey I am older than you, so I know a lot than you”. This kills any opportunity for normal interaction with young folk.

What older people can do to bond better with younger people?
- To bond better with younger people, older people need to come down and touch base with the enthusiasm and excitement levels of the former. Even though things might be old chestnut for older folk, they would do well to understand the excitement of younger folk.
- Older people have to drop of their superiority complexes, and try to speak and act on the same plane as younger people. If younger people are watching a football match, and planning an event around it, you also need to join the fun. You need to do all the fun things they do!
- Try to dress young. Try to look young. Have a young spirit. Be enthusiastic and cheerful. Be inspirational. Younger people like inspirational people…someone they can look up to and learn from.