"Who Couldn't be Happy Growing Up in a World Without Failure?"

Well, I know I could, but that doesn't make it a good parenting practice. I've just finished watching this story from last night's 60 Minutes and I seriously want to puke. There is some dude in this story who has the audacity to blame Mr. Rogers for the attitudes of today's twenty-somethings who are to henceforth be referred to as "Millenials". Whatever. I watched Mr. Rogers and I don't possess the massive sense of entitlement these little snots do. I guess I'm officially a crotchety, old broad since I want to throttle both of the young men interviewed here, one of whom says he thinks bosses should make sure to heap praise on their workers, up to and including sending their Mommies notes saying what a great job they do. Maybe they can just pin them to their shirts, pat their heads and give them warm cookies & milk (wait, that last part would be kind of cool...) Let's get this straight: praising and rewarding employees who go above and beyond is a fine thing to do. Praising and fawning over people who simply do what they are paid to do is overkill.

I just don't get this mindset. Parts of it start out OK, such as valuing family and friends above work. I get that. But the bottom line is, if you have a job and you do it wrong, you don't get to stomp your feet and throw a tantrum about it, then quit. If you do this, and it results in, as is mentioned in the piece, you having four jobs in a year, it really doesn't matter how you try and spin it, it still just looks like you can't hold a job!

I really do understand not wanting to settle and trying to pursue your dream, who wouldn't? But these kids have absolutely no sense of reality, which I personally pray comes up and just smacks them in the face. You have to see the clips posted over at my friend Don's blog on this same topic. They are sure to amuse and frighten you, as they did me.

Who can we blame for all of this? Well, their parents, of course. And the schools. These kids experienced childhoods where there were no winners or losers and I'm guessing few got to experience the agony or the ecstasy of a good game of Dodgeball. I also blame the asshats that make up "Young Hollywood". There are more young people today who are looking for the fastest, easiest way to become rich and famous than ever before. Their goal is to do as little as possible for the most money and then do nothing at all. Why? Because all you have to do flip on an episode of The Hills or Keeping Up with The Kardashians to find your role models. Or better yet, just open a magazine to see the vapid likes of Paris, Britney (oh, Britney) and Lindsey. I absolutely weep for the future.