Why does it seem like the younger generations lack the ability to grow up and deal with the difficult things that life throws at them? We have an entire generation of adults who have tantrums when things don't go their way. Maybe it's our fault for giving out trophies to everyone for merely participating, and now they think they are owed something. Somewhere along the way, these people never learned how to cope, never learned to get a grip, and were ultimately coddled too much. I mean, if universities are canceling classes and bringing in puppies for their students to help them deal with the fact that their candidate didn't win, then they have bigger problems than who is the president for the next four years. It's a spoiled child epidemic. They are all threatening to leave the country because they couldn't possibly nut-up and live in an environment that doesn't unanimously agree with everything that comes out of their mouths. Dropping them in another country might be just what the doctor ordered. Are they expecting us to beg them to stay? That's hysterical!
On the night of the recent election, I knew one of my sons would be disappointed with how it turned out, and I could already see how some people were reacting to the realization that their candidate wasn't going to win. I knew I had to reach out to him and absolutely NOT coddle him. I basically said, "I'm sorry, but you're an adult now, and learning how to suck it up and move on is just part of the deal." He didn't respond immediately, but then he got it. The next day, he was able to see the silliness in how part of the country was reacting. How would you feel if I was in a ball on the floor not able to cope, get dressed, eat, or sleep if my candidate didn't win? I know he was initially thinking 'well, you're the mom,' and then he realized he's not that much younger than I was when I became an actual mom. My point to him was, "You're an adult, act like one." The problem is in a lot of cases the coddling continues. At some point you have to rip the bandaid off and tell your adult child to grow the hell up. Otherwise, what does that look like in the future? I can't even fathom it. If they can't deal with an election, how will they deal with a divorce, a sick child, a miscarriage, a death in the family? There are a million bigger things that they won't be able to deal with, and it will partially be our fault for starting all this (I'm telling you the universal trophies were just the beginning) and, more importantly, not ending it.
