Young People Deserve More Credit

As I prepare for an evening of movies, games and snacks with my four favorite young people – my nieces and nephews, Trent (20), Travis (17), Halie (13) and Tristen (11) – I began to think about the messaging we hear about young people. The news, social media and television programming are filled with stories about entitled, coddled, disrespectful, and narcissistic young people. 

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Sometimes peppered in the middle of these terrible stories we may hear about some exceptional young person that by some strange miracle broke the mold. I know plenty of young people who broke the media mold. Below are a few examples of young people who "broke the mold".

1. The first time the professor asked us to get a partner for in-class work my heart raced a little. What kid wants to be partnered with the “old lady” in class? Much to my surprise, students have asked me to be their partner every time.  
2. This semester, I took my very first online test. And, when I was unsure about the online testing a classmate offered to help me get the computer set up.  
3. Once upon a time, I had a graphing calculator, but I have no idea what happened to it. I have been holding back from purchasing a new calculator in hopes that my old calculator will miraculously appear. It hasn’t appeared yet, so I have been using a basic calculator for all of my assignments and tests. Last week, a student in my stats class offered to let me borrow her extra graphing calculator.  
4. The students in my classes have been great! They have talked to me about their projects, vented about tests and offered to help me with homework.  
5. My oldest nephew, Trent, randomly mowed my lawn. 
6. My nephew and niece, Travis and Tristen, helped my dad with projects around the house. When they were done, they stopped by my house for a random visit.
7. My niece, Halie, volunteered for multiple Muscular Dystrophy Association events, and spoke beautifully at each event about her struggles with Muscular Dystrophy. 

Sometimes, young people aren’t given the credit they deserve. 

Why do we put young people to a different standard than we put adults? I have met a number of young people and adults who could be described as entitled, coddled, disrespectful, narcissistic and impatient. However, it seems like we put more spotlight on the worst of the young people. Why? 

If you know a great young person or you are a great young person tell me! Shout their/your praises and share in the comments below.