Welcome! Raising Gen Alpha is now Parenting in Hard Mode…
And I'm still reworking some of the information below because I care about growing our community and I also care about not taking on too much.
Thank you for your interest in Parenting in Hard Mode! My goal is to use storytelling to empower you to take an active role in changing your life. You can read more about the newsletter and community here.
If you become a paid subscriber, you’ll be actively participating in helping me grow our community and nurture the connections we make here. Let’s build this virtual village together.
First came Millennials. Then, it was all about Gen Z. So who’s next? Generation Alpha.
But who exactly is this generation? And what do we know about them so far? And, most importantly… How the eff do we bring up the children born between 2010 and 2025 aka Gen Alpha? You know, considering *waves hands* the state of the world.
These are just some of the questions on my mind. And on the mind of pretty much every single fellow parent I’ve interacted with since giving birth in March 2020. Many of us don’t even know the term Generation Alpha yet, but we worry. And we think. And we wonder. And we do our very best to raise our little ones.
But we still have questions, big and small.
That’s why I started the Raising Gen Alpha* community—because we all have questions and we all need support in one way or another. My goal is to use storytelling to empower you to take an active role in changing your life.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot around the world. Friendships and parenting groups have been one of the things that, in my experience, has changed drastically. It’s difficult to make friends with your child’s schoolmates when you can’t even go into their classroom for years. It’s hard to find others to talk about infant feeding with when in-person breastfeeding classes and groups are non-existent. It’s almost impossible to make friends at the playground when both of you are busy telling your children not to interact too closely.
So what do we do? Well, we still come together thanks to communities like this one. And we talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between about modern parenting and bringing up the next generation.
We’re kinda like a mom group, but with science. WELCOME!
*Written by journalist and former parenting editor Irina Gonzalez.
Who should subscribe to the Raising Gen Alpha newsletter and join the community?
Parents, caretakers, teachers, social workers, pediatricians, mental health professionals, and anyone else who interacts with the children born into this generation, Generation Alpha—aka kids born between 2010-2025.
This weekly newsletter is filled with research and data-led essays, expert interviews, book recommendations, and everything else that you want to know about bringing up the next generation.
Together, let’s grow this community of parents and caretakers.
What do we even know about Gen Alpha and why should I care?
Well, we do know a fair bit—all thanks to researchers and marketing experts.
The term “generation alpha” was actually coined by Mark McCrindle, founder of the Australian research firm McCrindle Research. They even created a handy website for Gen Alpha that contains a downloadable infographic and information about their book on the topic.
But that’s just “research,” isn’t it?
It’s hard for me, as a lifelong career journalist, to put my all into research being done about a generation that’s still being born. That’s the whole reason for the existence of Raising Gen Alpha, after all. For us parents and caregivers of these kids born from 2010-2024 (according to McCrindle) to have a space to discuss the topics that matter to us, today.
And yet, we should still know some basics, so here goes:
Born: 2010-2024
Top characteristics:
global (a true generation of global citizens)
digital (much of their life will be on handheld devices)
social (most communication happens online)
mobile (they can travel anywhere with ease)
visual (learning and living through their eyes)
By 2030, they will make up 11% of the global workforce. And some of the new jobs that may be available to them are cybersecurity specialist, UX manager, blockchain developer, data designer, virtual reality engineer, robotics mechanic, sleep technician, sustainability officer, driverless train operator, wellbeing manager, AI specialist, life simplified, urban farmer, space tourism agent.
These aren’t necessarily the things that I think about when I consider how to raise my Gen Alpha child. In a survey of over 100 parents across the U.S., parents were largely worried about the threat of climate change, increasing gun violence, and the fight over reproductive rights for those with a uterus. These are closely followed by concern over social media use and the rise of the alt-right across the globe.
I will definitely be covering those topics in Raising Gen Alpha, along with anything else that comes up during the daily caretaking we do. But don’t worry… this newsletter won’t be a total bummer. I’m dedicated to providing excellent service journalism so all of the information I include will be backed up by expert interviews, research, studies, and data. And sometimes, personal experiences from readers.
And, just to end it on a fun note… here are some cool facts about Gen Alpha’s habits as compared to Millennial parents (born between 1980-1994):
iconic toy: fidget spinner (vs BMX bike)
music device: smart speakers (vs iPod)
leadership style: inspiring (vs guiding)
screen content: streaming (vs internet)
That’s what we know right now. But since these kids are still being born and have not yet had a chance to speak to their own thoughts and desires, I’ll take this with a bit of a grain of salt. There’s so much left to explore, and I hope you will join this community of fellow parents and caretakers who want to know more about Raising Gen Alpha.
When I subscribe, what do I get? What about if I upgrade to paid?
Raising Gen Alpha is a reader-supported publication. And your support helps to make this all possible.
This weekly newsletter is filled with research and data-led essays, expert interviews, book recommendations, and everything else that *you* want to know about bringing up the next generation.
All subscribers receive:
Weekly public posts about bringing up the next generation + podcast
A lot of work goes into these free posts, including the research and interviews I do for each one. Plus everything that goes into making podcast episodes. Oh, and the actual writing, editing (usually more than once), finding photos, adding the right links where needed, and ultimately publishing this newsletter… Well, it’s work that I love. But it is a lot of time-consuming work and, as a professional journalist for the past 18 years, I take this work very seriously.
I promise that this newsletter will remain ad-free thanks to readers like you. But in order for me to do that, I can’t do all of this for free since, ya know, I also have a full-time job and a busy family life raising my kiddo, Rio, with my husband.
If you’d like to support the work that goes into researching, writing, and publishing this newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber if you haven’t yet.
Your financial support allows me to continue this work exploring the questions we all have about bringing up the next generation and growing this community of parents and caretakers. Plus, you get:
Access to extra weekly paid subscriber-only posts + the full archive
Exclusive expert interviews + ability to submit questions beforehand
Extra goodies (like children's book author interviews + parenting book recommendations)
And if you really want to support this community and my work as a journalist and parenting writer, then consider becoming a Founding Member. You will have my gratitude forever and always, plus the knowledge that you’re:
Supporting my work as a writer (as I write a book on motherhood & ADHD)
And if you can’t afford it, no worries! Just you being part of this community means so much to me. Thank you!
Book recommendation links are affiliates—aka I get a tiny commission if you use any of them to make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
Where can I send questions about my Gen Alpha kid that you haven’t addressed?
I love getting questions! This newsletter is primarily inspired by my own life and conversations I have with other parents—parents like you!
Please feel free to reach out with comments or questions for the newsletter by emailing me at raisingenalpha@gmail.com.
I’m also always happy to connect with fellow Gen Alpha parents on social media, so you can follow me on Instagram @msirinagonzalez and on TikTok @msirinagonzalez.
About Irina
Irina Gonzalez uses storytelling to empower others to take an active role in changing their lives. She is a journalist and editor with 18 years of experience in digital women’s lifestyle publications, including Latina magazine, SheKnows, Family Circle, MamásLatinas from Cafe Mom, Brit+Co, and more.
Most recently, Irina was the Parenting Editor at theSkimm—where she led the creation of the parenting vertical and oversaw the publication of news-first parenting content to help moms live smarter.
Plus, she is a freelance writer covering parenting, mental health, and Latinx culture. She has been published in over 50 publications and she’s written over 100 personal essays. Her parenting writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Parents, HuffPost, What to Expect, Good Housekeeping, Insider, Romper, Baby Center, Glamour, Well+Good, SheKnows, Parent.com, and more.
Irina is currently working on a book proposal about motherhood and a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and is seeking representation for her work. Follow her on Instagram @msirinagonzalez and on TikTok @msirinagonzalez.
She is based in Colorado, where she lives with her husband, rambunctious kiddo, and their fur babies. In her spare time, you can find Irina reading spicy romance books or exploring her colorful state with her family.
