Now that that is out of the way, I recently discovered an article that I agreed with so strongly that I felt compelled I needed to share it with anyone that will listen. The article appears on The Art of Manliness and is entitled Quit Coddling Your Kids. Have you ever read a news article or opinion piece that you feel just speaks to you? While reading said article it seems as if the author was reading your mind? This is one of those articles for me. I could not have written a better article than this.
In a nutshell, Quit Coddling Your Kids encourages parents, especially young fathers, to raise strong, resilient, and independent children. The trend to “helicopter” parent and to hover directly over children as they grow up robs them of their independence and their ability to discover the way the world works. This parenting trend is already making itself apparent in the workplace. I personally have seen it at my previous “day jobs” where younger generation employees are thinner skinned and crumble the first time they are reprimanded for inferior work. These are the kids that were brought up in what I call the “T-ball mentality”.
…If kids are never called out everyone gets to cross home plate, and everyone gets a ribbon, kids only experience success and never failure…
T-Ball is intended as an introduction for young players to develop baseball skills. That is all well and good but I think the parents who are more interested in building self-esteem rather than teaching life skills are doing a tremendous disservice to their kids. By not keeping score, not counting outs and having everyone get a turn to bat tells kids there are no consequences to their actions. If kids are never called out and everyone gets to cross home plate, they only experience success and never failure. I think we all know that life is full of failures. That is how we learn, by trial and error. This generation of kids that have been told they are good at everything still have this T-ball mentality because they were never allowed to fail. Everyone is special, everyone is gifted and everyone gets a ribbon. These are the same kids that show up on American Idol and are shocked that Simon Cowell tells them their singing voice is dreadful. They have been told all their life their voice is wonderful yet it sounds more akin to two alley cats fighting. No wonder they are appalled when they are told the truth.
Whether you already have kids, want kids or are planning on having kids, Quit Coddling Your Kids should be required reading for any current or prospective parent. Whether you agree with this position or not, please give it a read and read it with an open mind. It may change the way you raise your kids.
Make sure to check back later on tonight for the inaugural mid-week version of the Weekend Wrap. In there you will find all kinds of information regarding tailgating and tailgate parties.