Why I’m Not Worried About Gen Z – A Mom’s Perspective

Thank you Allstate for sponsoring this post. I chose to write this post because doing good in local communities is at Allstate’s core.

I know we are living in a time with a lot of uncertainty. The news is hardly something we can bear to watch, and moms everywhere find it challenging to send their kids out into the world. But today, I’m sharing with you why I’m not worried about Gen Z, my daughter’s generation.

A couple of months ago, I was sitting in a conference room listening to a presentation about how generations differ. While I have heard much about Millennials over the years, I didn’t know much about this new generation, Gen Z, even though I had a direct link to it via my daughter.

Gen Z is designated as those born between the years of 1995 and 2009. Currently in their preteens to early twenties, the almost-65-million-strong generation are the children of either Gen Xers (me) or Millennials. While every generation has its challenges, Gen Zs live in a more diverse world, take work very seriously, and are much more risk-averse than Millennials (which made me happy to hear).

While this isn’t a perfect science and we are still learning, one thing I’ve seen firsthand with these kids is that they are determined to change the world.

Gen Z – Determined to Change the World

Young people today aren’t waiting for change to happen – they’re creating it and charting their own course.

I see this at home, in the stories my daughter tells me when we are driving home from school, and in her eyes.

My daughter is determined.

My daughter is smart and skilled.

But most importantly, my daughter is empathetic.

Empathy was something I saw early on in her childhood. She was born at a time when I was grieving the loss of my own mom. Never having the chance to meet most of her grandparents, she didn’t really understand, but she could feel my pain – and she acted on it.

She does that with so much that she sees in life. It’s not enough to feel bad for a child at school who is being bullied or to pray for the situation, though she does both. No, she makes it a point to step in, at the risk of losing other friends. This happened recently and it spawned some of the best conversations we’ve ever had.

As a mom I couldn’t be prouder. As a human being, this gives me hope and confidence.

Seeing things through her eyes is refreshing. Watching her make things happen is inspiring. But my daughter is not alone. She is joined by so many children and young adults just like her.

Inspiring Me to Make a Difference

Allstate believes that it’s important to instill community values at a young age, and I couldn’t agree more. Young people today don’t wait for opportunities to come where they can make a difference, they create those opportunities. That is exciting.

Though at times limited by transportation and money, kids will find ways to help their own communities, bringing them one step closer to becoming the next generation of leaders and change-makers.

As a proud Allstate customer since I was in college, I’ve always seen how they are dedicated to the communities where they live and work. It’s part of Allstate’s core values.

In fact, watch this heartwarming video and learn how Allstate made a huge difference in one community (with a little help from the kids). This video was also a wonderful way to get my daughter’s wheels turning on how she can make a difference in her community.

While I have always been one to give back to the community in various ways, my daughter inspires me to do even more.

Recently, the opportunity arose to donate supplies to a local school. We knew we wanted to donate, but were also looking for ways to do more. Though it meant missing brunch by the sea and lounging on the beach, I was inspired to not only donate, but visit and help paint the school to create a more inspiring environment for these kids. When my daughter is older and the situation allows, I have no doubt she will join me in these endeavors.

By lending their hands, hearts and voices to their communities, kids are changing things up, but they’re also building critical social and emotional learning skills like problem-solving, empathy and teamwork.

Those skills are exactly what they need to succeed in life. It’s not just about them, it’s about those around them – a key message that all people need to learn, but more importantly live by. To learn there is something bigger than yourself is so valuable.

I know Gen Z, like every generation before them, will certainly have their weaknesses – but like Allstate, I choose to focus on their strengths and do what I can to help develop them.

I’m not worried. The future is bright.

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.