The Kids Are Alright! – End of the Day for January 8, 2014

It was a good day today and it reminded me of something that is worth saying out loud here in the blog. Teenagers are pretty cool! Yes, that’s right. I think teenagers are pretty neat folks and this especially goes for my own teenager. Sure, there are issues, their are hormones, there is the inevitable (and healthy) challenging and breaking free of our control. We might have words on occasion, but the majority of our time is special, friendly and productive.

Joseph was on his last day of vacation today, but when I let him know that we needed to spend some time cleaning up the outdoor Christmas decorations, he came out with me and did it without grumbbling. In fact, since he is getting quite old now, he did nearly all of that work, by himself, while I handled some other tasks that had be postponed far too long. Then we kicked back, had dinner and played some video games. Overall a pretty cool day.

The reason I bring this up is that it seems every generation, from time immemorial, has slagged off on the generation that follows. Our parents probably did it to us and their parent probably did it to them, too. “Kids today are lazy. Kids today are stupid. Kids today are dangerous. Kids today won’t amount to a hill of beans.” Forgive my coarseness, but Bullshit! The kids are alright today and were probably quite alright in the past, too. I can’t explain why one generation always seeks to damn those that follow — probably some sense of misguided insecurity — but it has to stop.

Whenever I hear someone (usually around my age or a bit older) complaining about “kids today” I make a point — usually a somewhat vocal point — that I think kids, teenagers, young adults are pretty cool. They’ll, of course, point out some news story or other about children run wild, but when I ask about the children they know personally, they demur. Even worse, they can’t see that they are doing to these teenagers what was most assuredly done to them. Like the seniors hazing the freshman in high school, it makes no sense, except in some perverse, “well they did it to me, so I will do it to them” mentality.

Orazio, Joseph, Alessio in Agira, Sicily, Italy

Whenever I look around me, I see great kids (almost adults, in my case) doing great things. Doing things that I am sure I would not have been capable of at the same age. I am frequently amazed at the high quality of projects, productions and activities I see at my son’s school. Further, I am amazed by the children of our friends and our family. Unlike many, I don’t worry for the future. I think it is in pretty good hands.

Sure, there is always a certain percentage of every generation who can be slackers, criminals, moochers, but to brand entire generations with those labels is ignorant and offensive. We nee to look around us and see the amazing things being done by amazing kids and stop worrying that the world is going to “Hell in a handbasket.” The majority of kids have their act together today and the minority of those that don’t can lay significant blame on their parents and the environment where they grew up. How many kids have we doomed to failure with our unthinking and unkind abuse to their generation as a whole? I will not be part of it. I will stand up for those kids that deserve it. I will question the wisdom of their elders when I think they are complaining and condemning.

The kids are alright and they really deserve better!

Previously on End of the Day:

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