Case in point, last week we had a birthday celebration for a co-worker. Wanting something summery and decadent, we went out and bought a Friendly's Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake.
I don't even want to know the number of calories in it - boy was it good. Everyone in the office tried to be good and took small slices so we had half the cake left over.
We put it in the leftovers in the freezer for the next day. When I came in the next morning there were dirty dishes covered with peanut butter ice cream left out for the catering staff to deal with. I'm sure you can guess what happened.
Someone ate the cake! Right out of the freezer. The culprits were a couple of high school kids working the evening shift at our building.
Now I don't really care about the cake - but who the hell did these kids think they were to take something that they clearly knew didn't belong to them and devour it? Further to leave their mess for someone else to clean up!
Now who does that - especially in a business environment? Perhaps you are saying - "I did way worse when I was a kid." I agree I was no angel but I always had manners. I was raised to respect others and treat them the way I would want to be treated.
These kids had no respect and no clue as to how others would react when they found out. I believe kids today do not think past instant gratification. Technology allows kids to get to what they want instantly. They do not take the time to think about repercussions because the world moves way too fast.
As parents what should we do? We have a responsibility to build a solid foundation for our kids. One the includes respect, manners and common sense. It is so simple - don't do something you wouldn't want done to you.
Why is this so hard for anyone to grasp regardless of age? Are parents failing their kids? Are the hectic schedules, the reliance on technology and the extremely fast pace of daily life costing us in ways we are not expecting?
If kids today want respect, they need to earn it. In my book this group lost major points but their parents lost quite a bit as well. You get once chance with your kids - don't blow it!
Teach them to consider others. Teach them to stop and think. It will pay off for them in the end.
My parting point to the kids - you are always "interviewing" for your future whether you think you are or not. The world is an unbelievably connected which makes it "smaller" than ever before. Very few offers are going to come the way of self-centered and un-mannered graduates - Have fun getting stuck at minimum wage!
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