Comments on: Xander Week 86 – The “Y-Me?” Generation – an interesting theory… http://beingsara.com/story/xander-week-86-the-y-me-generation-an-interesting-theory/ Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:53:02 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Sara http://beingsara.com/story/xander-week-86-the-y-me-generation-an-interesting-theory/comment-page-1/#comment-118144 Sara Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:44:48 +0000 http://beingsara.com/?p=182#comment-118144 Hi Jesse, you make some excellent points - and I'm certain you would have gotten a different reaction using a different example. Of course the way that we try to teach teenagers, or even 8-12 year olds is different than the way that we try to teach our younger children. Even at a young age kids can learn to help around the house (and we take advantage of this desire of course!). I entirely agree with the older they get, the more we should expose them to the challenges they might face in adulthood. I think that sometimes sheltering kids from these things may make us think that we're helping them, when in fact, we are robbing them of the opportunity to learn coping skills. I have some experience with the "lazy 25-year old" and I often wonder what might have happened in the past to make this person wind up this way... Thanks for the response - I'm glad to see some clarification! Hi Jesse, you make some excellent points – and I’m certain you would have gotten a different reaction using a different example. Of course the way that we try to teach teenagers, or even 8-12 year olds is different than the way that we try to teach our younger children. Even at a young age kids can learn to help around the house (and we take advantage of this desire of course!). I entirely agree with the older they get, the more we should expose them to the challenges they might face in adulthood. I think that sometimes sheltering kids from these things may make us think that we’re helping them, when in fact, we are robbing them of the opportunity to learn coping skills. I have some experience with the “lazy 25-year old” and I often wonder what might have happened in the past to make this person wind up this way… Thanks for the response – I’m glad to see some clarification!

]]> By: Auntie Jenny http://beingsara.com/story/xander-week-86-the-y-me-generation-an-interesting-theory/comment-page-1/#comment-116826 Auntie Jenny Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:10:44 +0000 http://beingsara.com/?p=182#comment-116826 When we were young (young enough to want to buy things on our own, but not old enough to actually work to get them), we got an allowance. not a lot mind you, but we also had chores to do. bedroom clean and other normal stuff, but other stuff too. help cleaning the house, etc. not just stuff that you should do anyways, but work that makes you EARN your allowance. I look at Xman and I don't really see a kid that is going to grow up to be a spoiled brat (though I am biased as he is the cutest and best baby ever). Kids come into the bookstore though... and I worry because they are HORRIBLE. Your kid is screaming at you, you don't then BUY him a toy to get him to shut up. Thats not good for anyone, least of all the people working that have to listen. There is a difference between loving your kid but teaching them important lessons and spoiling them rotten. More people need to learn that balance... When we were young (young enough to want to buy things on our own, but not old enough to actually work to get them), we got an allowance. not a lot mind you, but we also had chores to do. bedroom clean and other normal stuff, but other stuff too. help cleaning the house, etc. not just stuff that you should do anyways, but work that makes you EARN your allowance.

I look at Xman and I don’t really see a kid that is going to grow up to be a spoiled brat (though I am biased as he is the cutest and best baby ever).

Kids come into the bookstore though… and I worry because they are HORRIBLE. Your kid is screaming at you, you don’t then BUY him a toy to get him to shut up. Thats not good for anyone, least of all the people working that have to listen.

There is a difference between loving your kid but teaching them important lessons and spoiling them rotten. More people need to learn that balance…

]]> By: Jesse http://beingsara.com/story/xander-week-86-the-y-me-generation-an-interesting-theory/comment-page-1/#comment-116670 Jesse Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:18:41 +0000 http://beingsara.com/?p=182#comment-116670 Hi Sara, I actually agree with you wholeheartedly, there is a balance! I think if I would have used a different example -- not my four-month old learning to roll over, but maybe a teenager learning to do some work -- that everyone's take on the post would have been quite a bit different. I'm actually thinking about writing a followup to it to kind of clarify. I feel like people maybe took from it that I don't think we should help (or even love!) our kids. Not at all what I was trying to say! But that's more a reflection on my poor writing skills than anything else. We can't shelter kids from everything tough or hard in life or they'll never be able to handle anything tough or hard -- but again, we have to look at the child and do this on a case-by-case, thoughtful, loving basis. I wonder how the reaction would have been if I would have used an example of a lazy 25-year old that's still living at home :) Hi Sara,
I actually agree with you wholeheartedly, there is a balance! I think if I would have used a different example — not my four-month old learning to roll over, but maybe a teenager learning to do some work — that everyone’s take on the post would have been quite a bit different.
I’m actually thinking about writing a followup to it to kind of clarify. I feel like people maybe took from it that I don’t think we should help (or even love!) our kids. Not at all what I was trying to say! But that’s more a reflection on my poor writing skills than anything else.
We can’t shelter kids from everything tough or hard in life or they’ll never be able to handle anything tough or hard — but again, we have to look at the child and do this on a case-by-case, thoughtful, loving basis.
I wonder how the reaction would have been if I would have used an example of a lazy 25-year old that’s still living at home :)

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