Just my opinion...

     I just read a blog concerning the apparent epidemic of suicides at Appalachian State this year. According to the American College Health Association (ACHA) the suicide rate among young adults, ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950s and suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college age students. These young people are often away from home and friends for the first time. They're living with strangers, far from their support systems, and working under intense pressure - with disrupted sleeping, eating and exercise patterns. You could hardly design a more stressful atmosphere.
     I have a theory about a few other reasons why there is a rise in suicide among young adults . It's called reality and my fear is that we aren't sending our children out into the real world equipped to handle the real cruel world.It wasn't too many generations ago that children , elementary school aged children, woke up before the sun, dressed, trudged to the outhouse and then went straight to the barn to milk the cows and gather eggs for their breakfast. After sucking down breakfast, they WALKED to school and they did this every day whether it was 80 degrees outside or 5. Starting last year , local area schools began delaying the school day when the temps were to be extremely cold. I don't like to roll out of bed when it is cold outside either but the reality is that the world doesn't stop turning just because it is below 10 degrees.
     I had my first job at age 16. I didn't work for play money either, I worked to pay for my car insurance and gas money to drive back and forth to school. I see less and less teens having to work for anything they have . Here is what I see : Teens driving not to work, but to a friends house to party or hang out in cars paid for by their parents, filled with gas with money that mom or dad handed them as they walked out the door, and insurance premiums paid by none other than the same mom and dad.
     There are so many things that the generation being raised up right now depends on and takes for granted that the generation before them did not have. I did not own a cell phone until I was 25 years old. Today the average 2nd grader owns the newest Iphone paid for by mom and dad. I am not sure why a 2nd grader would need an Iphone but I have noticed that even elementary school aged children have become increasingly lazier to do actual book work. If you hand them a worksheet with a 3 paragraph story and 6 questions about the story on it, half of the class will gather around the teachers desk asking for help with the answers. They don't want to have to look for them, they just want you to show them where the answer is like google would do.
     I am terrible at following directions...the driving kind. I was no better when I was younger. I now own a GPS but up until 2 years ago there were times when I drove around in circles trying to figure out where I was. Up until GPS everybody used maps to get from one place to another. Now, nobody has to guess how long it will take to drive to a destination , or the best route to get there. We are always just a few clicks away from having instant directions, best routes, driving times, and heck, if you want, a list of dining and hotel options along the way. Children don't have to pay attention to where the car they are riding in is turning to get to where they are going. They won't have to remember. Their time is better spent sitting in the backseat watching a movie on the built in DVD player , playing a game on their Iphone, or taking a selfie to post on Instagram. I mean, why look up and pay attention? Mom and dad will make sure they have GPS so they don't get lost, right?
     My point is, everything is just too easy . Nobody has to work to figure anything out anymore. Critical reasoning skills have been lost. A friend of mine has a daughter who soon will be moving away to college. I have noticed that way too often her sentences begin with " Hey Mom, should I...?" Her questions aren't life altering decisions such as " Hey, Mom should I go to this college or that one?" it is usually something simple as " Hey Mom, should I have a bagel or fruit for breakfast?" Now this could be a case of her valuing her mother's opinion and I really hope it is. I truly hope that it isn't because she lacks the self confidence to make simple decisions on her own. If it is difficult for her to decide whether to wear the tennis shoes or the black flats with her jeans and sweater on her own without Mom's input, how much harder is it going to be to make the decision whether to attend the party down the hall in college or stay in and study for Monday's big test?
     Today's child only needs to show up to get a trophy. Today's child has the latest and best in technology at their fingertips and does nothing to earn it.Today's child has helicopter parents making every decision for them and never allowing them to fail. Today's child looks more greedy and self absorbed than any other generation. Today's child lives in a world that less and less takes personal responsibility for anything. Today's child is tomorrow's college adults and have absolutely no idea how to handle having to actually earn rather than be given. They can't make decisions for themselves and can't emotionally deal with failure. They can't take their noses out of the Iphone long enough to handle real world social interactions. They don't take personal responsibility because they have never had to .Today's child is overwhelmed when thrown out into the real world called college.
     Yes, this is my opinion and you may or may not share it. Yes , it is harsh and perhaps a little judgmental. I am not in any way shape or form saying that ALL children or college students fall onto this category. I am just forming my own opinions and theory based on time spent with young to upper teen children. It is perfectly okay for you to disagree with me and I won't be crushed when you do. I am capable of dealing with that because I live in the real world where your opinion of my opinion doesn't determine my emotional and mental stability.