I looked at my grandsons's bedrooms the other day.(ages 13 and 7). First of all pretty messy but that is not the issue or is it? Trophies every where, medals, ribbons, these kids must be the greatest young athletes in the world. Well, they are very good and perhaps deserving, but as I looked at a picture of my youngest in a graduation cap and gown in a preschool graduation ceremony I realized that this has all gone to far. This "push for self esteem" is creating people with an image of themselves that may not allow them to compete in a tough world.
Attending a machine pitch, Eight and Under baseball game is quite a treat. Some parents, grandparents are polar opposites. The players were pummeled with exclamations of how good they were as they struck out, made bad throws and had their backs to the action. Or, these poor kids took a barrage of constant corrections and criticisms and were adhering, cowering to every demand. What a show. I actually thought of videoing some of this magnetic action and putting it on You Tube. It might go viral. Abuse either way, these types of actions are creating people who are not grounded in true reality. Our children should be raised to be confident, self assured, mentally balanced individuals. There must be a balancing act between praise and criticism. And this is not an easy task. But the failure of this task may be leading to the failure of America itself.
