Very interesting article - and very true of today's kids. You look at sports - everyone gets a trophy. They grew up with Mr. Rogers telling them everyone and everything they did was great. Their heroes are often picked for the money or power they have not what they have accomplished.

I grew up in a middle class family - comfortable and never wanting (at least as far as we knew as kids) but Dad had many careers over the years - changing fields and companies - there was never ONE answer that had to be achieved.

These days you read about kids getting caught cheating and the parents, rather than coming down on the kids, fighting with the teacher because if it goes on the student record that one incident could "ruin my child's life".

We grew up knowing we had to work hard - but not with the feeling that if you make any mistake it can ruin you. Mistakes were what you learned from. And if everyone was getting an "A"? Well that meant the class was too easy and the teacher would make it more challenging.

The article talks about drug and alcohol use and suicide among kids. Well that is because they were told that any screw-up, even as a kid, could ruin your life. So if you do make a mistake well why not kill yourself, your life is ruined anyway.

One part of the article I really liked...

We need to teach our kids to be the best they can be. Not all of them will be doctors or lawyers - but maybe they will be the best mechanic or even the best trash man....

And how often do the parents talk to their kids about their own mistakes?

As the income gap grows and the ability to live a comfortable middle class life gets harder and harder to obtain we need to have the next generation be survivors not be brought up to expect they will always be the best and always succeed at everything.

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