Amman — In a changing world, today’s generation has become a source of knowledge for parents, who consult their children on various matters and listen to their opinions and their social and emotional intelligence. A mother may ask her daughter for advice about a situation that concerns her, while a father may learn from his son how to use an application or work with digital tools.
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This has become increasingly common. Parents turn to their children to understand many aspects of life in which younger generations have greater familiarity. In return, children draw on their parents’ experience and wisdom to understand relationships and assess situations. In this way, knowledge and learning flow between generations.
Mothers are no longer the only ones reaching for their phones to call their children, nor are fathers the only ones explaining to family members how things work. In many households, the roles are sometimes reversed: a daughter sits beside her mother, offering advice on how to handle a problem or a particular social situation, while a son explains his phone settings to his father and introduces him to ways of improving his work.
These details may seem simple, but they reveal deeper changes within the family. Experience is no longer passed exclusively from parents to children in one direction. Children have also become sources of knowledge and advice, creating a relationship in which parenting, learning and emotional closeness overlap in positive ways.
Psychological and educational counsellor Raeda Al-Kilani stresses that this shift does not diminish the status of mothers or fathers. Rather, it reflects a world in which tools are changing rapidly and new forms of knowledge are emerging, areas in which children may be better equipped because of their familiarity with technology and everyday trends.
She adds that the issue today is not about who knows more, but about how families accept this change and turn it into an opportunity for understanding rather than a source of tension or a feeling that parental authority is being undermined.
Al-Kilani explains that learning in these situations goes beyond acquiring a particular skill. When a mother learns from her daughter, she gains more than the ability to use an application; she also gives her daughter an opportunity to feel capable and confident.
Similarly, a son who helps his father may discover that his knowledge can be a way to contribute, rather than simply a technical advantage to show off in front of others.
However, these situations can also involve sensitivities. Some parents feel embarrassed about asking the same question repeatedly or fear that needing help may be seen as a sign of weakness, particularly if they are accustomed to being the family’s primary source of guidance.
According to Al-Kilani, some children respond impatiently to their parents’ questions, explaining things too quickly or making comments they do not intend to be offensive but that may leave their parents reluctant to ask for help again.
She emphasises the importance of understanding the psychological and educational dimensions of these changing roles. A healthy relationship between parents and children is not based on one side monopolising knowledge, but on creating a sense of security that allows everyone to ask questions, learn and make mistakes without fear of being belittled.
Al-Kilani explains that when a father can tell his son he does not know how to use an application, or a mother asks her daughter for an opinion on something troubling her, this reflects a relationship in which people can acknowledge their needs without the family losing its balance.
From an educational perspective, Al-Kilani believes these situations offer practical opportunities to teach children patience, respect and responsibility. Helping parents is not simply a matter of explaining technology; it is also an exercise in clear communication and in recognising differences in experience and learning pace.
Parents, in turn, can set an important example by accepting help from their children without feeling that doing so diminishes their role. This reinforces the idea that people can continue acquiring knowledge at every stage of life.
The changing roles are not limited to technology. In some families, a daughter becomes her mother’s adviser on how to handle a social situation, while a son helps his father understand expressions used by young people or trends spreading online.
Parents may find in their children a perspective close to a new reality they have not experienced in the same way. Children, meanwhile, still need their parents’ experience to understand relationships, consider long-term consequences and distinguish between an immediate impression and a carefully considered decision.
Sociologist Dr. Hussein Khazaei says this overlap in relationships between generations should not become a competition over who always has the right answer.
He explains that children may have more up-to-date knowledge of applications and digital trends, but that does not necessarily make them more experienced in assessing consequences or dealing with life’s complexities. Likewise, parents’ experience does not mean they know every new development or that their established methods are automatically suitable for every new situation.
Khazaei highlights the importance of balancing listening to children with maintaining the parental role of guidance. When a mother asks her daughter for advice about a social problem, for example, she can take her daughter’s perspective seriously while also drawing on her own experience to assess the situation.
When a father learns to use a digital tool from his son, he can also guide him on the importance of privacy, verifying information and avoiding careless sharing of personal data. In this way, mutual learning does not erase generational differences; it turns them into a source of complementarity.
From a social perspective, Khazaei says these everyday interactions strengthen family bonds by creating opportunities to connect beyond traditional roles. Instead of limiting conversations to routine questions about school, work and household responsibilities, family members can work together on a new task or exchange knowledge about a subject that interests them all.
He adds that these simple details help children feel that their opinions are heard, while giving parents an opportunity to understand their children’s world from the inside rather than relying solely on preconceived judgments.
Khazaei stresses that this closeness does not develop automatically. If children’s help turns into mockery of their parents’ lack of technological knowledge, or parents’ experience becomes a reason to reject every new idea, differences can become a barrier between the two sides.
The way people communicate therefore matters more than the information itself, he says. Children should explain without condescension, parents should ask without embarrassment, and each side should accept that the other may have something worth learning.
Ultimately, in an age when knowledge changes rapidly, a successful family is not necessarily one in which older members know everything. It is one that can learn together while maintaining respect, boundaries and responsibility.
Changing roles also offer an opportunity to rediscover the relationship between parents and children. Parents do not lose their status by learning from their children, and children do not need to prove their maturity by surpassing their parents.
Between a step on a phone screen and advice about a social situation, a shared space emerges, showing that a family is not merely a place where knowledge passes from one generation to another. It is also where everyone learns to understand one another and remain a source of support, whatever changes take place in the world around them.
