Sorry we’re not sorry that we were coddled

January 24, 2014

Here’s our anti-apology:

We’ve been told we are the “trophy generation”.

When we were 6 years old, we all got medals for being on the soccer team; we were all the same. Now at 26 years old, we are expecting more than just medals for our work — yet our trophy shelves remain empty.

Millennials are criticized. We’re lazy. Because we Uber to work. Because we Google “Grammar Girl” to figure out if we wrote a sentence correctly. Because our first apartment out of college is nicer than our parents. Because we want to lay on our couch and surf Twitter for a few hours.

Forbes constantly discusses how millennials are coddled and how it’s affecting the way we perform, the way others view us, and the way that our future will be determined.

From participation ribbons to “likes on Instagram,” we have been coddled by complete strangers our whole life. By being taught that everyone is special, we were taught that everyone is the same.

Whose fault is it? Was it our parents fault? Our teachers? Our ‘frenemy’ in high school? Yes. All of the above.

The product of all of this?

We work harder. We work to be the best. We assume there’s someone out there who is already better than us — so what’s wrong with trying to outdo him or her?

Remember, we grew up in a time when interest rate and economic volatility subsided, and a thriving economy was met with a technological renaissance.

Remember that greater technology then increased job income growth, which afforded everyone more opportunities. Our parents wanted us to have what they couldn’t. We were all coddled.

Then came the rise of social media. Millennials coddle each other more in this generation. Remember the saying you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours? Today its more like “Tweet my story out, and I’ll tweet yours too.”

I’ve been told my biggest downfall is my strong sense of entitlement. Older adults have criticized us for being rookies, for demanding too much too soon. So, if my biggest downfall today is wanting to be CEO tomorrow. I’m not sorry.

I’m not going to manage my expectations. Why should I? If I want to bite off more than I can chew, what’s the worst that will come of it? Our outlook on life is fresh and maybe naive — but that’s the beauty of us. We don’t know what it’s like to be 40 or 50 just yet, so let us enjoy these days. Let us want more than we can get. We’ll be better for it.

So sorry, but we are really just not that sorry.

About Authors

Kelly Cohen (left): Floridian. Journalist. Mizzou educated. Sports fanatic. Always yelling.