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?