Lazy Teens or Grumpy Old Man?

I know what you are thinking. This is another example of someone from the older generation saying, "These kids today just aren't responsible, respectful, resourceful..." This may be true, but I had two recent experiences that gave credence to this gentleman's opinion. 1) I had a 17- year- old stay with us for a week this summer with his family. I asked him what he did for fun this summer and he said, "Watch TV, play video games and chat with people on facebook."  I noted that all of this is done in his house and he said, "Well, there isn't much to do in Winston-Salem, North Carolina."  Hmmm.

2) Last week I was speaking to about 50 students at Northwest High School in Cincinnati, Ohio (shout out to those awesome students for making it such a life-changing experience). I sat next to a sophomore and a junior at lunch. One said to the other, "By the time August came around, I was so bored that I was looking forward to coming back to school." The other student responded, "I know. I can only watch so much TV in a given day." Wow!

Boredom was not a thought I remember having as a teenager, certainly not in the summer. I called several friends from high school and they agreed with me. Summer was freedom. We rode our bikes to each other's houses, played sports all day, went swimming, read books, went to the mall, did chores, worked crappy jobs, went on road trips, tried to pick up girls... In other words, we found things to do. Boredom was just not in our vocabulary. 

At the danger of sounding like a grumpy old man, I wonder if the social media has limited teenagers from having real social interaction. I wonder if having organized sports from the time one can walk is leaving teenagers unable to organize a simple neighborhood game of anything. If a parent doesn't put a child in a "camp" or plan an activity, he/she doesn't know what to do. Seriously, if I told my dad that I was bored, he would have come up with a list of chores for me to do to cure my boredom.

So, when my wife emailed me this article, I found myself nodding my head in agreement (sorry). Never in your life will you have more energy...more time...more freedom... to get busy, have fun or do something totally spontaneous. Remember, you only get one life. Don't sleep it away or twitter it away. Live it to the fullest. There is no excuse to sit on the side lines of life as others take the field.

Your Turn

Do you think that this generation is more bored than previous generations? Why or why not?

What did you do for fun this summer? Were you bored? Were you active?

Does social media actually help teenagers do more activities together?

Do you feel that it is the role of the community, government or your parents to provide "things" for you to do?  Or is it your responsibility to find things to do?





Penn State Needed A Hero

Yes, I read all 161 pages of the Freeh Report on the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case at Penn State University. I read this report because everyone seems to have a comment and an opinion on this case, but very few people have read the report.  It is important to have educated opinions, particularly before making public comments in this type of forum. If you are interested, you too, can read the report below.

 http://www.thefreehreportonpsu.com/REPORT_FINAL_071212.pdf

One of the facts that I learned from the Freeh Report is that two people were eye-witnesses to the sexual abuse. One was a janitor and the other was an assistant football coach.  The other fact is that at least 16 people were informed of this abuse (not all were Penn State officials), including police officers.

My overwhelming thought is that any of these individuals could have spoken up, demanded answers, held a news conference... If any had, he/she would have been heralded as a hero! It is important to note that a person doesn't need to be in a leadership position to act responsibly and follow through. Why do we hold the assistant football coach accountable and let the janitor off easy.  Is one more or less accountable for the welfare of children?  We blame the president of the university and the head football coach for not doing enough, but do we have the same standards for the mom who suspected her son was abused?

My point is that we all need to act as leaders, regardless of whether or not we are in a leadership position.  Had anyone of those 18 individuals demanded answers and followed through, they would have been called heroes.  They would have been put on magazine covers and probably received "person of the year" honors from multiple sources.  No one did, and we are left wondering why.

Let this be a lesson to you: if you encounter wrong-doing, don't look the other way.  Take action, do something about it, report it to the authorities.  I understand that "no snitchin" is the unwritten code among teenagers, but the Penn State case should make us all question this code.  It's no longer okay to say, "That's not my job." It's no longer acceptable to look the other way and hope that someone else will take care of the problem. The world needs more "leaders" who do the right thing and a few more heroes.

Your Turn
What will you do if you witness a student bullying another student?
What will you do if you witness a student cheating on a test?
What will you do if you hear a rumor that someone brought a weapon into school?
What will you do if you witness or hear about a principal/teacher who is doing something unethical?