Neverending Daycare as a Way of Life

May 11, 2023

I have been on this planet for fifty-three years. A Gen Xer. We grew up on punk rock, wanting to be the opposite of our hippie parents and wanted to grow up fast. We grew up without helmets, curfews, and not free from consequences. We had societal consequences for poor behavior and judgement. If we screwed up, we paid the price, learned from the experience and hope to not repeat. This correction came from parents, coaches, bosses and random adults on the street. The police weren’t called. Adults handled the situation and we listened. As teenage boys, we feared our friend’s fathers and respected their mothers.

Teenagers today would not survive in that world where there were no cellphones, Internet, constant entertainment and “safe spaces.” I have never heard the term “safe” as much as I have heard over the last couple years. The world is not safe regardless of how anyone perceives it. For those who hold this perception as true, I suggest going to a foreign country and experiencing how different America truly is. No one cared about your feelings. Bullies were common and were either dealt with or not. You were afraid to lose your job if you didn’t go above and beyond and there was no “calling in sick” if you did not want to work that day. Mental health days would have been ridiculed.