Stop Blaming Millennials for Being What You Made Them

Baby Boomers and Generation X'ers have been bemoaning the current generation for a while now.  The common complaints are that Millennials are:
- Lazy
- Entitled and Ungrateful
- Narcissistic
- Disrespectful to Authority
- Never Paying Attention

Disclosure Statement:  I was born in 1976, which makes me a full member of Generation X.  Since I have taught high school for the past 17 years, I have taught the youngest of Generation X as well as all of the Millennial range.

Here's the deal.  Generation X was lazy when compared to Baby Boomers who were massively lazy compared to those who survived the Great Depression.  Generation X was far less grateful for our Sony Walkmen than we would have the Millennials believe we were, and I am betting that Baby Boomers weren't as grateful for their 8-tracks as their parents would have liked either.  Disrespect for authority has been getting progressively worse throughout American history.  There are some great things about the Millennial generation, but that is for next week's post.

The two labels I believe are uniquely accurate are the low attention span and the narcissism.

Before we jump on our kids for these attributes, let's take an honest look at the cause.  With the exception of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, every children's show since the beginning of Sesame Street has been fast moving, loud, and colorful.  No image stays on the screen for longer than twelve seconds.  The child's developing brain becomes neurologically wired to seek new stimulation every twelve seconds.  Who makes children's programming.  Hint: It's not children.  Who lets a Millennial sit with a screen for ten hours a day, making their attention span short.  Hint: The kid isn't tall enough to get at the screen for himself.

As for Narcissism, I think even Narcissus would think we have gone to far.  He only looked at himself; he didn't insist that others do so as well.  What has made the Millennials so self focused?  Could it be that they have been told since they were conceived (through headphones attached to the mother's abdomen) that they are the most wonderful, amazing, and unique snowflake God ever dropped on this earth?  Could it be that every time an authority figure has dared to point out a flaw, they were told that they were in the wrong for not understanding the child's uniqueness?  Could it be that we have been video taping, photographing, and posting about their every move and word since they came into the world?  Then we bought them selfie sticks.  Were we thinking it wouldn't make them believe they should take pictures of themselves all the time?



When you paint a picture, you can't blame the picture for having the colors you used.  When you cook a meal, it is useless to blame the taste on the ingredients you chose.  When you tell a child they are perfect every day for years, you can't be upset that they believe you.  If you are a Baby Boomer or a Generation X'er (like me), you will find yourself tempted to complain about the qualities you see in the current generation.  Before you make those complaints out loud, keep this in mind:  WE MADE THEM THIS WAY.

As Dr. Phil says, "You can't change what you don't acknowledge."  The brain can be changed, but it requires intense, focused work.  That can't happen until we acknowledge the source of the problem.  If we don't recognize that our words are part of the problem, we will continue to send mixed messages.  Nothing could ever prevent growth more than that.