The "I FEEL" Generation

With all the marketing/sociological/demographic buzz terms such as Generation"X" , "Y"and "Me", I want to add my take on the current 20-somethings who flow in and out of my days.

They 'expect' a lot, take much for granted, seem to live in a very cushy bubble and, I fear, have no concept of what's outside that bubble once it bursts when they're handed their diploma and leave the ivy-covered walls of their selected institution of higher learning.

Am I lumping them all into one big pot? Yes, but merely for the sake of this entry. (We all know kids who are born knowing what they want to do and where they want to go from the moment they leave the womb. Many work very hard in the college classroom and many more work simultaneously at jobs to pay for that privilege.)

I just have one question for you: Have you listened to this generation and how they state their opinions? They ALL say the same thing. It's incredible. It's unusual to hear "I think..." or "My opinion is..." , the current catch phrase is "I feel....". Has this been your experience as well?

How are you supposed to react when you are told, in response to your inquiry as to when a certain someone will be arriving at your home for the weekend in order for you to make plans, "I feel I will be coming in on Friday or Saturday." WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? Talk about gobbledeegook. So does that give me the liberty to be home or not when they knock on my door because I "felt" I didn't have to be?!? (I actually had this conversation last week. I gotta tell ya I was NOT a happy camper. To that person, whom I love dearly and cherish even more, I explained that they needed to figure out the definitive answer for their arrival. Period. And we'd go from there.)

This warm and fuzzy stuff was huge when these kids went through elementary and middle schools. Self-image and self-confidence and fitting in and everyone is special was all the rage. I get all the psychology behind the concepts. I do. But the first time one of these kids says to their boss (who is a member of my generation) something like, "I feel.... that the work day is too long" or "too strenuous" or " this deadline is too soon" or "I won't be able to work overtime because I have plans", I guarantee you they will gain some valuable first-hand on-the-job in-your-face knowledge. Initially they will receive the cold, hard look of incredulous disdain which will be followed immediately by verbiage designed to clearly remove any and all misunderstanding that the aforementioned facial expression did not already convey. (And most certainly, another guarantee, this boss will care less about their employee's tender feelings of self-image!)

Bless their inexperienced hearts. I know how smart they are and how they will adapt quickly as life teaches them lessons. This age bracket will become stronger and more resilient as their resume of situations grows. Just as generations before them have done. I truly really feel very strongly about this. (touche'!)