“Kids these days…
aren’t spanked enough.”
aren’t tough enough.”
need more discipline.”
are pussies.”
are out of control.”
I hear these heartbreaking statements about children all the time. The thing is “kids these days” are every generation. Generation after generation of adults have been referring to children this way. We were referred to this way when we were children and so were our parents. The current generation of children are being talked about like this. And it’s likely that people will be saying this about the next generation of children as well.
The problem is not with the kids. It’s with us. It’s with the people who utter these ugly words. I’m not going to disagree that we don’t need to make changes with our children. I am disagreeing with the way we go about it. The answer does not lie with the children. It lies with us.
The way to make change is not to drag others down, instill fear or cause physical pain. We make change when we build people up, when we empower them and support them. It is our job to give our children the self-esteem, confidence, love and nurturance that they need to grow into a truly changing generation. And to give parents the tools, support and connection to help them get there.
Abby Theuring, MSW
