But who made all the kids wear helmets and gave out the participation trophies?

I've seen the video above floating around Facebook a few times over the last year, but when I saw it recently it got me more worked up than usual. While I try to argue that I'm not part of the Millennial generation, I am and I've come to accept it. I certainly see some of the problems in the younger end of my generation that the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers complain about, but I still think some of the complaints about Millennials are ridiculous.

Take this video for instance. It makes the following claims:

1. You left home in the morning and didn't return until the street lights came on 
2. You didn't wear bike helmets 
3. You didn't have gaming systems or hundreds of TV stations
4. You had to try out for Little League and people were cut

I'd like to take this opportunity to point out the following:

1. You're the ones who are not letting your children leave the house in the morning and not return until the street lights came on
2. You are the ones who started making kids wear bike helmets. It's not like one day a 10 year old was like, you know what would make this better, a foam and plastic hat.o
3. You kicked things off with Pong and then Atari and so on. You bought the systems for your kids and let them play all day and night. 
4. Children don't give themselves participation trophies. Adults give them out. Maybe you were a little bummed that you got cut from Little League in 1978? 

You can't go blaming "kids these days" for living the life you created for them. 

There is no doubt that the world we live in today is not the same as the world of the 1960s, 70s or 80s. But then again, maybe it's not so different, and that is actually what is sad. Perhaps you remember the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968? Or the race riots in '67 and '68. Given the news in the last couple weeks (or years), We clearly haven't come very far as a society. 

Millennials and their children are the future. Rather than tear them (and the world you created for them) down, why not have a conversation with them. Learn a little bit about them and what they want out of their life and this world we live in. If you listen, I bet it's not much different that what you want. 

Online High School

Over the weekend I saw the commercial for K12, the online public charter school, something like a million times (OK fine, like 3 times). Each time I saw it, I got more annoyed that it even existed. Schooling options are great, and the fact that this is a public one is great too. But, the social aspect of high school is huge. High school is tough, no doubt. But the lessons learned during those four years can last a life time.

Sure bullying is a big problem and it makes school rough on a lot of kids. But, you can't run away from all the problems life throws at you*. It's a great time to learn about conflict resolution. In 15 years when you're in the "real world" and you have a coworker who's a jerk, you don't get to stop coming into work. You confront the person or talk to a boss about it. You communicate the problem and try to work out a solution.

With all the technology and social media platforms that we now have at our finger tips, we're becoming a very disconnected society. I fear that if our kids start going to school online and their primary interactions with teachers and peers are all virtual that we're going to be a very big problem on our hands. If people think millenials require too much hand holding and difficult to work with, just think what it will be like with this generation of kids who have the opportunity to completely avoid human interaction.

*Note: Obviously there are some very extreme cases of bullying and other situations that call for home schooling and alternative education. Those aren't the situations I'm talking about.

Giving this blogging thing a go ... again

About 10 years ago, I started writing a blog called I Swore I'd Never Live in Wisconsin (side note: 10 years later, here I am still in Wisconsin) and somewhere along the way I abandoned it. After much searching (not really, a couple Google searches) I can't find it so I am starting fresh. 

I never lived in a bunker, but I've been living as Kimmie Schmidt before Ellie Kemper made it cool.

But, back to getting back on the blogging bandwagon. Writing is what I do, and I've missed taking the time to just write for myself. Plus, I think I'm hilarious and this gives me an outlet to be hilarious.

A lot's changed since I gave this a go 10 years ago. Here's the cast of characters:

Zach - husband, soccer enthusiast, grumpy old man (except he's only 30)

Augie - son, trouble maker, goofball, Daniel Tiger fan 

Max - 100-pound German shepherd mix who thinks he's a puppy still that can fit on your lap. Possibly the most spoiled member of the family.

And me 

Over the last 10 years, I've learned a few things from a lot of people. A smile goes a long way (Just give them that Kimmie smile, as my mom says). There are a lot of really stupid people in the world, it's best to try your hardest to ignore them. "Kill them with kindness" is shockingly effective. You should always carry a snow shovel in your car in the winter in Wisconsin. Learn from your mistakes, and then move on. 

Sit back, relax and enjoy the show!