Change is a fact of life. It can be exciting, or it can be difficult. We seldom really think about the impact of change on us. When we even try to imagine the impact change will have on us it never seems like it will be that much and yet it certainly can be.

The most powerful way to look at change is to look at the multiple changes we have already experienced. Look at the things that were in existence a number of years ago. Think about the impact of the telephone. We have had telephones for a long time. But think about the telephones of today: go to a restaurant today and you will find many people using their phones while having their meal.

Do you think you ever would have had that experience? The impact of the change in our use of telephones is amazing. Even the huge changes on how you can use your telephone shows us about the power of change.

Look at the changes the computer has brought into our lives. Look at the changes that have taken place with what you can watch on television and what you can watch at home. Look at the cameras that we use today on our phones versus the ones of yesterday. The gadgets on your new model car are so numerous, it is difficult to learn them all. Even the style of clothes people wear changes significantly over time.

Change is everywhere. We think we can ignore it but we can’t. It happens faster than we expect and is more powerful than we anticipate. It changes the way we do so many things in life.

Some changes in life are ones we do expect and plan for, such as:

• When you graduate or when your child graduates from one school to another

• When your child gets a driver’s license

• When you move or change jobs

• When you change your marital status

These are all big changes — but they also happen with your knowledge. There is another kind of change that changes society and how people of your age experience change.

• How do teenagers dress today? How does your child dress differently from when you were her age?

• How popular are tattoos for teenagers today? What has replaced them?

• What are popular websites for young people today?

• How are today’s children different from others in the last few years?

• Do you recognize the growing popularity of certain illegal drugs?

You can help yourself be ready for any kind of change if you just spend some time thinking of the future.

Talk with your children or the neighbor’s children about their lives. See how they are different today that when you were young. You need to understand the differences in today’s children. If you are raising a child, you need to see how things are different today for your child. It may even surprise you.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation.