We Gen Xers really did grow up hearing “suck it up, Buttercup” or “rub some dirt on it and get back out there.”
Our parents didn’t talk about their feelings; they went to work and drove us kids around and cooked dinner and then we all watched Little House on the Prairie or Happy Days.
If we complained about how hard school was or groused about what was for dinner, we heard “I’ll give you something to gripe about” and got reminded that there are poor kids who don’t have nearly the stuff we have and who go to bed hungry.
Now the pendulum has swung hard the other way. Gen Z are more in tune with their own heartstrings than any previous generation. They all have a diagnosis or two or twelve, multiple prescriptions, and two therapists on speed dial.
And I don’t think it’s progress, because they’re also more fragile than any previous generation.
If it’s too hard, they quit. If it hurts, they call it trauma. If it’s uncomfortable, they call it toxic. If it’s anything short of ideal, they leave.
We’ve overcorrected by miles, folks. We need to get back to doing hard things just because they need to get done, and quit giving a shit about how we feel about it all.
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