Generation WHY

This is a mea culpa, a confession. Don't worry, I advised myself of my rights before this admission. It is voluntary, but it does hurt a little.

There has been a lot of media blather about a study that concluded that the current generation of 20 Somethings are too narcissistic. Parents, these sociologists concluded, went overboard raising the self-esteem of their children way back.

As a result, kids today think their shit don't stink.

(That's not exactly the way the Ph.D's put it. They had a grant.)

That puts me in the embarassing position of defending another lost cause: my parenting. The first and only witness and exhibit is my son.

He is not only smarter than I am or ever was, he is better in almost every other way. He is also healthier, wiser, has more of a grasp on how to be happy than I ever did. He has more understanding of how the world works, what's important and what is trivial.

I am the first to admit that he is not perfect. He has a lot to learn and I worry about the inevitable pain he will have to overcome in his life.

And his shit does stink.

Other than that, I think he turned out okay.


Case closed. I win.