It’s not “Kids these days!” It’s “Adults these days.”
“Entitlement is a disease that is bred into ‘kids these days’ by adults who think they’re deserving of special treatment.
Adults who lack discipline, accountability, and personal responsibility.
Kids are a byproduct of their environments and what is tolerated within them.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
“Oh ya know, kid’s these days don’t…”
Maybe they don’t. But guess who’s fault it is?
Adults.
Now don’t get me wrong, I understand kids are going to be kids. Kid’s are going to dumb things. And yes, there are some bad apples out there who’ve drifted wayward from the tree..
But let me tell you what else I do know about kids.
At this time in my life, I’ve worked with over 2,000, 10-22 year-old’s every day of my life for over a decade as an adult in a relatable age bracket. Far more relatable than the “kids these days” phrase touting boomers.
You know what most kids are?
Most kids are byproducts of their environments and what is tolerated within them.
Sure, you can talk about the “social influences” and “getting caught up in the wrong crowd,” but it starts at home.
It starts with being an actual parent who acts like an upstanding, boundary and discipline fostering adult.
You let that “little thing” slide in your life? How can you not expect them to let it slide in theirs?
You don’t put your foot down when they’re running around with the wrong crowd? You think the adolescent lacking frontal lobe development is going to adjust course to the mature choice by accident?
You bitch and moan when things don’t go your way, or better yet you cheat somebody? What the hell do you think is going to happen when things don’t go their way or they have the opportunity to cheat someone?
It’s not about being their friend, either. It’s about being their mentor.
You try to be friends with them now, and you’re “cool” today, but by default you greatly increase the chance of them being a loser tomorrow, often for the remainder of their lives. Notice how there are far more losers than winners out there?
It’s far more effective to be a tough, exemplary parent now, so that you can maintain a quality relationship for decades into the future.
You want to rid entitlement in kids?
It starts with adults acting like adults and not breeding the disease into them.
You are not special. You are not unique. The world owes you nothing.
Teach them that truth with your example.
Watch how far they go.
