Community Chat

[Mersha]

I read many terrible stories here and everywhere about incidents involving children in Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012).  Many of those children lacked parents that cared about their well being and were absent.  I know quite a few teachers and some of the stories about life situations of the children are awful.

They end up in all sorts of trouble and many leading a life of crime.  We always hear the negative, awful things about this group.  I read today someone said it will take multiple generations for a good crop of children to come along.

There is another side some of you may not get to see.  For this reason, I would like to share what I have been fortunate enough to experience.

I have been blessed with four grandchildren.  They all play multiple sports and we have made a concerted effort through all the years to be there at each game for them.

We have come to know the children and their parents very well over the years.  There are so many parents that have given so much to their children, most importantly, their time.  I have seen many, many sacrifies along the way.  They made a concerted to be there and be the best parent they could be.

My grandson is graduating in a few short weeks.  I am so proud that I have known these children that are going off to college to become teachers, engineers, doctors, architects, therapists, scientists, and a wealth of other important professions.  They worked SO HARD and many of them will be awarded academic or athletic scholarships.

These children are incredibly bright, motivated, hard working, articulate and so excited for their future.  They are interested in country and world issues and want to make a difference.  I truly believe they will.

I am so very hopeful of all of the wonderful things they will do and contribute.  There is a great group of young adults out there that will do great things.

Give them a chance.

[simplyfriends]

I haven't heard any terrible stories here on this forum but I'm not here every day. 

My experience with the Gen Z generation is that they are resourceful and that they are more conservative and interested in being entrepreneurs and investing their money. I'm sure there are some bad apples but I think they will be a great generation. 

[timeless]

My own experience in the family with Gen Z and Millennial has been positive.

The parents are what made the difference. 

Teachers were, at most, secondary.

Unfortunately, my son told me they generally looked the other way.

[timeless]

@simplyfriends 

You're right about being entrepreneurs.

My niece considers herself a "businesswoman" and has already at 22 acquired a storefront and renters.

My son wants to work for himself in some capacity online.

[bikerbabe]

I think some older generations don’t understand that many Gen Z are not working what would be considered more traditional jobs. Hence, some of the complaints I read about lack of employees in low paying service jobs and the erroneous assumption that younger generations are all lazy.

[Lucky Charm]

I have two grandchildren that are Gen Z, and one that that was born after that. Whatever the heck that is...

They are involved in sports and I travel hundreds of miles to watch them on the fields every weekend.

Of course, their parents are there, too, if not on the sidelines, they're coaching.

But I don't see what that has to do with any of it. 

Our own three---Gen Yers-- played sports and went to college or served our country and did well.  It's just sort of a luck of the draw.  

You can have parents who are absent, drugged or just plain ignorant and the kids do well.

You can have parents who gave their all and the kids didn't do well, or became drug addicts or just plain ignorant.

There are a few teachers in my own immediate family and the stories are heartbreaking.  Especially from my NYC teacher DIL.

Again, it's the luck of the draw....

[Mersha]

Just to clarify, I wrote the post as so much negative seems to be around about this generation.

Reading the comment today about taking quite a few years to get to a good generation hit me the wrong way.

I wanted to convey the "positive" I see in them.

[Oznell]

While it's true that different generations often share certain characteristics, I prefer to look at people always as individuals, unencumbered by a monolithic "group identity".

Example:  As a baby boomer,  the fulsome praise that some, like my college professors, would lavish upon us, struck me as unfounded.  They tended to idealize what was really a motley group.   The huge boomer generation was too diverse, in my opinion, to be confined to certain stereotypes, some of which persist to this day.

I'm quite intimately acquainted with Generation Z, since our son was born in the year 2000.   Again, I believe they are not necessarily easily characterized.  If there were one down side to them as a group, it would be the well-known over-involvement in social media.  Unfortunately, the last couple, and presumably all future generations, will have their varying challenges with the siren call of cyber space.

On the other hand, our son and his friends, while not perfect, have absorbed a very strong work ethic and impulse toward self-sufficiency.   Unlike the popular stereotype, he has not rejected faith, and is active in his church.  He's decent and kind in his interactions ( probably the characteristic we hoped for the most, for him).  We had our bumps along the way of adolescence, and fully expected him to rebel away from our world view and political philosophy, only to find that, independently, he's of the same stripe.   That really meant a lot.

So, I think every generation has certain common struggles and triumphs, but I believe that eternally, people are individuals, subject to the foibles, the negatives and positives of our shared humanity.  I'm not conscious of a lot of people in real life singling out Gen Z for special disapproval.  I am conscious of people being critical of certain cross-generational behaviors that may have been encouraged over time, and that may be counter- productive.   

[JaneMarple]

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@Mersha wrote:

Just to clarify, I wrote the post as so much negative seems to be around about this generation.

Reading the comment today about taking quite a few years to get to a good generation hit me the wrong way.

I wanted to convey the "positive" I see in them.

I agree with you 100%, this generation is refreshing because they are independent thinkers and seem to be in touch with what's going on around them.

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[phoenixbrd]

I tend to agree with @Oznell.. Good to be careful when subscribing to group stereotyping.  Everyone is an individual with their set of morals and values.  Heard mentality can be a disservice.  If you generalize, everyone can think of an exception.  Usually what we see in others, tells us a lot about ourselves.  I prefer to see the kindness and good in others on an individual basis, unless proven otherwise.  If a group bonds due to their ethics/common interests, then one can make certain assumptions, but their will always be the exception.