Open Letter to the Next Generation...
It's time for a wake up call. I see commercials where everyone is worried about what we're leaving the next generation to deal with, and I don't think they are all capable of success.
Let me explain. Our teens are babied. Period. Helicopter parents swoop in to get their children out of trouble or sticky situations without letting them learn a lesson. They have been raised to be playmates, and not allowed to be kids. They grew up being sassy to adults and act like brats without repercussions. Parents aren't acting like parents. They don't want their kids to hate them if they don't get the latest Xbox. They don't appreciate anything given to them, because they can't place a value on it. If they don't work for it, it won't be important to them, just stuff. This does not go for every teen, but it is a pattern I have seen emerging with our teenagers.
Most cant hold jobs because it requires them to be responsible for their own actions. Case in point: fast food. If you cant get an order right, you don't deserve 15 bucks an hour. Besides, it's a team effort, so the whole group gets an F for the meal. It's not rocket science. It's no cheese, how is that difficult to get?
As a parent, it is my job to raise my tiny humans to be humans, to be a benefit to society in some way, to be loving and caring, to be firm and tough when needed, to be fair, and to be responsible for their own actions. Give them a chance to fail, and they will eventually succeed. It will matter to them because they succeeded and it will mean the world to them. We as a society owe it to them to let them fail. Allow them to figure it out on their own. They will surprise us.
Let me explain. Our teens are babied. Period. Helicopter parents swoop in to get their children out of trouble or sticky situations without letting them learn a lesson. They have been raised to be playmates, and not allowed to be kids. They grew up being sassy to adults and act like brats without repercussions. Parents aren't acting like parents. They don't want their kids to hate them if they don't get the latest Xbox. They don't appreciate anything given to them, because they can't place a value on it. If they don't work for it, it won't be important to them, just stuff. This does not go for every teen, but it is a pattern I have seen emerging with our teenagers.
Most cant hold jobs because it requires them to be responsible for their own actions. Case in point: fast food. If you cant get an order right, you don't deserve 15 bucks an hour. Besides, it's a team effort, so the whole group gets an F for the meal. It's not rocket science. It's no cheese, how is that difficult to get?
As a parent, it is my job to raise my tiny humans to be humans, to be a benefit to society in some way, to be loving and caring, to be firm and tough when needed, to be fair, and to be responsible for their own actions. Give them a chance to fail, and they will eventually succeed. It will matter to them because they succeeded and it will mean the world to them. We as a society owe it to them to let them fail. Allow them to figure it out on their own. They will surprise us.
