Advising on AI: This is important for all parents

By General Education Advice

“We have no idea how to advise these kids…”  This was an incredibly candid admission from a guidance counselor at a local Shoreline, CT high school.

I view her as one of the wisest of local guidance counselors and her comment as illustrating her wisdom, not ignorance.

We are heading into unprecedented territory.

Years ago, I joined the World Future Society.  If you look up ENFJs (my Myers-Briggs type), you will note that I am in the right field as an educator/counselor and that my off-the-chart “N” (Intuitive) makes me highly future-oriented (and unable to tell you any sensory details about the interior details of my home.. or really anything!)

Regardless of my ineptness at relaying such information, I’m pretty good at understanding young adults and guiding them on what to do in the future.

I will write to parents here.  I adjust when speaking to students.

Here are 10 pieces of advice for parents of 14–17-year-olds:

  • Prioritize “Meta-Skills”: Shift focus from learning specific software or rote facts to mastering how to learn. Adaptability and cognitive flexibility are the most durable skills in an automated world. This is a complex way of saying: learn to think.

  • Encourage Human-Centric Strengths: Double down on empathy, persuasion, leadership, and complex communication. AI can calculate, but it cannot yet authentically connect or navigate nuanced human emotions.  Or “Stop looking at your damn phone and talk to people!”

  • Master the “Conductor” Mindset: Teach them to view AI as an intern or a tool to be managed, not a replacement. Success will come to those who can direct AI to execute their vision.  Here, I help them formulate a vision.

  • Protect Mental Well-being: With the pace of change accelerating, resilience and mental health management are the ultimate competitive advantages.

I’m here to help.  And, while I still will be helping my young adult children, I know for sure that those who are coming next are in greater need.