Spoiled Kids

Our society has become so wealthy, that our kids are facing, in increasing numbers,a lack of drive or motivation to guide their life's purpose. Here is a good article on this topic. The interviews with college professors concerning their perceception of their students shortfalls are interesting.

I've asked this question of other college and university professors before, and the answers I get back are usually academic: not enough preparation in high school, too much reliance on remedial courses, poor writing skills or a tendency to avoid classes that require lots of reading.

Not this time. Academic concerns have been replaced by personal ones, the kind that can't be fixed with private tutors and more homework. Without hesitation, the professors agreed, the biggest problem with young people today is that they lack a sense of purpose. And, the professors insisted, this might have something to do with the fact that these kids don't lack for much else.

Unfortunately, I've seen this up-close and I can testify to how true it is.

I've had the opportunity to teach at the college level and have spoken to many professors about this same issue. One description of many (not all) students is left out in this article. The sense of entitlement is palpable in the classroom. This is obviously a by-product of life-long overindulgence. When everything was just handed to you as a child, why not in college too? For me, it was my worst on-the-job discovery. Problem is, I don't see anything changing that is going to fix the problem.

As a parent, I am very aware of this. My children could very easily fall into the traps that are described in the article. One day they may understand that I refused to buy them everything in sight so that they will have that inner drive to thrive toward a higher goal. Lord knows, I'm not going to be doing their laundry for them into their 2nd decade. No Way!!