It’s a different generation of children we are raising

By Lisa Caprelli, Mommy In Los Angeles® Magazine Guest Contributor

Being a mother is one of the most beautiful, unique roles on this planet. There is no manual on how to be a good parent. And certainly if there were one, we’d each need to redesign it as our children are all unique and will grow up with different talents and gifts.  

To be a parent is like being a life coach for your child(ren), and you hope to lead by example. One of the best gifts I have given to my two sons (born 15 years apart) was a computer. At age 13, I gave my first son, Matthew, a top-of-the-line Mac and said, “Learn everything you can! Learn video editing, photography, and PhotoShop.”  And so he did. He learned so much that he even went on to work for me part-time and used his talent to put himself through nursing school. Thirteen years later,I still rely on him sometimes for side projects with my business.

“The best thing you ever gave me, mom, was a top-of-the-line computer when I was seven,” says my son Trey, my younger son who is now 13-years old. Trey has developed a successful YouTube channel called TreyJam he created with his older brother, Matthew. “You told me to learn YouTube with videos because it was going to be an important skill. The tutorials have been amazing, and  without it I would not be able to advance as I have in school.”

Consider the following staggering statistics according to YouTube:

• More than 500 million hours of videos are viewed on YouTube daily.  

• 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!

• Almost five billion videos are viewed on YouTube every single day.

• YouTube gets more than 30 million visitors per day.

• In an average month, 8 out of 10 people age 18-49 years-old watch YouTube.

Some of Trey’s videos have millions of views. He edits and publishes “Try Not to Laugh Videos” on his YouTube channel which pick up monetized ads and sponsorships, and he is in a new league of his own with over 60,000 subscribers.  

Little did I know that while my son was teaching himself how to create, edit, and publish videos that it would one day come full circle and help my own business passions.  Life has gone from me teaching him, to him teaching me, to help promote my upcoming book, Unicorn Jazz, available on Amazon now: UnicornJazz.com.

In 2019 we are planning strategy to incorporate video marketing techniques using TreyJam’s YouTube platform.

When my son and I take our walks at the beach, we check in about his video work, YouTube channel and brainstorm ideas.  We each help each other – as he asks about what projects I’m working on and their progress. I ask him questions about the world of YouTube and the technological advances he sees.

I’m surprised that many adults still don’t know how powerful YouTube is or why people would watch YouTube videos. It’s a different generation of children we are raising. Technology is anything invented after you were born

I am asked often by CEO’s over 30, “What is monetization?” or “I still don’t get YouTube – who watches those videos?

Parents, remember Saturday morning cartoons? I could not wait to wake up early and watch one of the only three stations available to me. Today, our children have millions of options right at their fingertips. In fact, 92 percent of Americans have some type of online presence by the age of two.

So, this Christmas when you are thinking of what to get your child, think of technology; don’t underestimate its value to the skills that our young ones will need in the future!

Do something that your future self (or your child’s future self) will thank you for.

Lisa Caprelli has over 24 years of experience in branding and marketing and understanding the changes in social media and writing about it for the business dinosaur to not stay left behind.  Color Your Message: The Art of Digital Marketing and Social Media has been a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. Watch for Unicorn Jazz, a children’s book to be released in December 2018 and Skip a Step to follow in early 2019!  Lisa mentors other aspiring authors to write their ideas out and create their own unique brand.  Writing Your Story and Turning it Into a Published Book is available on Amazon and Kindle.