WHEN we talk about teens and young adults today we are not very kind.
They are entitled, they are lazy, and they are unprofessional. The list goes on. Complaining about kids is not new. Many generations of adults has agonized over its young adults. There were the flappers, the beatniks, the hippies and the goths.
The 1960 Broadway play Bye Bye Birdie featured the song, "What's the Matter With Kids Today?" And parents could still sing that today.
Parents worrying about their kids entering adulthood is a typical generational issue.
The difference today is that we have alphabetized every age group and set our expectations accordingly. Are you a Gen X, a Gen Y or a Zoomer?
The workplace is then counselled by some experts to meet the needs of each group, particularly these troublesome Ys. This is the big difference.
These young adults are the first group who are not being asked to grow up and meet the expectations of the marketplace. The marketplace is being asked to change to meet their needs.
We know that these pesky Ys are causing some concern in the workplace. And those who are "computer nerds" may be the toughest to integrate into the system. They are bright and creative but lacking in faceto-face social skills because they have spent all their time online.
We need to be looking at our children and understanding that it is our job to raise these kids to become capable young men and women.
An obvious issue is that they see the world through technology. Our job is to respect that but also ensure that they also relate to people. They need to be included at family dinners and outings. They need to experience live theatre, art and music. They need to learn how to converse with people of all ages.
I spoke with a partner in an engineering firm who told me that the young people coming into the firm are not selfstarters. They need direction and supervision every step of the way on every project. No wonder. They were heavily programmed from infancy. In each and every program they were told what to do and now they don't know how to figure out the next step in a project on their own.
One of the biggest complaints I hear is that these young people have been raised to believe they are the best and the brightest and can accomplish anything they desire.
The problem is, they don't understand that accomplishment takes time and effort and that they may fail. They need to start at the bottom and work their way up.
We can help our young folks by having them struggle to accomplish goals. This may be as basic as letting your two-year-old struggle to get his arm into his jacket, your five-year-old patiently trying to tie her shoelaces or your eightyear-old trying to figure out a puzzle. It's difficult to watch kids struggle when we can step in and save the situation, but what are they learning in the process?
We need to let them experience failure. When 14year-old Amelia fools around instead of studying for her exam and then fails the test, she learns an important lesson. When 10-year-old Richard forgets his lunch or homework project, it is his problem to solve.
Today's young people need to be raised to fit into the work environment that will be their reality.
They bring real strength to the workplace, the society and their families. Their comfort and expertise with technology is a real bonus. They know how to relate online and instinctively understand social media. Because things have changed so quickly throughout their entire lives, they don't question the need for life-long learning.
As parents, we can celebrate these strengths while at the same time giving them opportunities to learn what's happening in the real world marketplace so they will not only survive but also thrive.
Kathy Lynn is a professional speaker and author of Who's In Charge Anyway? and But Nobody Told Me I'd Ever Have to Leave Home. If you want to read more, sign up for her informational newsletter at www.parentingtoday.ca.
