THINK YOU’RE RAISING YOUR CHILD? THINK AGAIN—THEY’RE RAISING YOU

By Amy Molloy | Guest Editor

I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but you’re not imagining it. This generation of children? They are different. They’re more intuitive. More emotionally intelligent. More spiritually attuned than most of us were ever allowed to be at their age.

They’re also… a lot. Big feelings. Big questions. No tolerance for outdated systems or ‘because I said so.’ Parenting them is beautiful—and it’s a rollercoaster.

As an investigative journalist, I have written about a huge array of topics over my career from the sexualisation of grief to eating disorder recovery and our inner urge to cancel ourselves. I never thought I’d write about the past lives of my children, or that I’d ever explore them—but then my second child was born.

My son is, and always will be, my greatest challenge—and my greatest teacher. The child with the power to tear your heart in two, and heal it in an instant. I’ve learnt more from him in six short years than I’ve learnt from a decade of therapy, meditation and deep dives with my girlfriends. He has also brought me to my knees many times.

Do you have a child like this too? Congratulations … and I’m sending you a cuddle and a strong cup of coffee. It’s a privilege to raise a child like this—a little soul who sees, and feels, the world so different. But, in our society, it can also feel like a problem.

I wrote my new book, Wise Child, because I kept hearing the same thing from parents all over the world: When my child feels safe, they say things that stop me in my tracks. Wisdom that doesn’t match their age. Insights that shake your beliefs.

But, outside that safety bubble, the world is quick to dismiss them, mislabel them, or dim their light. And, through it all, I kept thinking: maybe these kids aren’t here to learn from us in the usual way. Maybe they’re here to remind us.

Here are five lessons today’s wise children are here to teach—if we’re open enough to hear them.

1. They live in alignment—without even trying

Many of today’s children have a built-in radar for truth. They instinctively know when something doesn’t feel right—whether it’s a friendship, a classroom, or a family routine. They won’t fake it. They won’t people-please. And they certainly won’t follow rules that don’t make sense to their soul.

It can be challenging to parent a child who constantly calls out inauthenticity, especially when we’ve been conditioned to keep the peace at any cost. But what if their refusal to “go along with it” is a strength, not defiance? These kids are showing us what it means to live with integrity—before they even know what the word means.

2. They’re here to reframe what we’re scared to discuss

Death, money, climate, gender, politics—they ask about it all. These kids have an emotional fluency that allows them to speak about things we were taught to fear or avoid. I heard from a 10-year-old who told her mother, ‘I know it’s hard for your generation to understand, Mum, but I don’t fear death. I live in full acceptance’.

These aren’t shallow comments—they’re deep truths delivered with pure innocence. And if you try to avoid the questions? You know, they’re going to make you face it. In fact, they seem to have a radar for the topics we want to avoid. Shame around money? Fear of death? Let’s shine a light on it. In my experience, these kids are here to soften the shame, to strip back the stigma, and help us have the big conversations that can move the world forward.

3. Labels are optional—Wonder is essential

Kids today aren’t as interested in boxes. Girl or boy. Rich or poor. Left or right. They are here to explore the in-between. One child I met in my research insisted she was neither a girl nor a boy—just ‘a person who loves glitter and trees.’ No stress. No debate. Just calm clarity. These children are showing us how to live with fewer assumptions and more permission to be who we are. And honestly, it’s refreshing. They’re not worried about fitting in. They’re more interested in feeling free. And when you see them moving through the world that way, it makes you want to do the same.

4. Rest is radical

So many of these children know when they need to pause. They say things like, ‘I need some quiet time to feel okay,’ or ‘I’ll play when my heart is ready.’ They aren’t lazy. They’re listening to their inner world in a way that most adults have forgotten how to do. These kids teach us that rest isn’t the opposite of productivity—it’s a vital part of it.

In a world that rewards hustle and burnout, they’re slowing us down and showing us how to tune in. Imagine what the next generation could create if they believed, from the beginning, that taking care of their energy is as important as taking care of their goals.

5. It’s not about teaching—it’s about remembering

The biggest lesson of all? These kids don’t need us to download all our knowledge into their heads. They need us to help them remember what they already know. So much of parenting feels like we’re trying to ‘get it right’—to raise good humans with the right values, beliefs, and behaviours. But these children already have a deep inner compass. What they need is permission to trust it.

I’ve learned that I don’t need to know all the answers to be a good parent. I just need to stay curious. And when I do? My kids become my greatest guides. They’re not here to do what we did. They’re here to do it differently.

I spent over two years researching Wise Child, interviewing parents, kids, educators, healers, mediums, therapists and researchers across the world. The final message? A deep exhale …

It’s a huge relief when we realise, parents don’t need all the answers—and kids know far more than we think they do.

Wise Child is available now, published by Hay House. Follow Amy Molloy on Instagram.

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