Sure, there's still plenty of risky business in the lives of today's American teens (sex, drugs and rock and roll come to mind), but countering all that counterculture are big doses of resume-padding, parent-pleasing, consequence-dodging decisions that many young people are making each day. And, often, with society's stamp of approval.
True, we should want young people to know how to make thoughtful decisions--ones that consider both risks and benefits--but I'm not sure that all that helicopter parenting and Harvard hoop jumping has served this generation so well. I'm afraid that our national obsession with outward appearances has devalued experiential education to the detriment of our youth. Too often, the message is "avoid the mess and fall in line." And, too often, our young folks do just that.
How, exactly, does a person develop grit or resilience without occasionally entering the wrestling ring?
And, frankly, the anonymity of social media doesn't help. When even mainstream journalism outlets such as the Lincoln Journal Star allow readers to leave vitriolic online comments using stupid pseudonyms rather than the writer's real name, how on earth can we be surprised that personal responsibility has fallen victim to faceless finger pointing? No good can come when we don't even have to own our own opinions.
What's missing here is a clearheaded "tight/loose" model of living, one in which our young people are encouraged to explore their worlds and get muddy along the way, while also owning the results of those explorations. Such benevolent neglect, coupled with both encouragement and education, would do wonders for today's teens. And I can think of a lot of older folks who would benefit from such practice, as well.
. . . the thing is, a move in this direction would require some risk, and I'm not sure the adults in the room are ready to take it. And that fact may just be the biggest disappointment of all.
No comments:
Post a Comment