The Kid's Aren't Alright

Every generation, the preceding generation has complaints about the rising generation. They're rude, they're lazy, they're uncultured. But there's never any reflection on how we've shaped society for them. How we've participated in their upbringing... or how we've abandoned them. One piece I really wanted to touch on is how young people (literally all children) are being locked out of society and public spaces.

They can't go to malls, they can't hang out at food courts, and they do not get opportunities outside of commuting (maybe) to express their independence or develop needed social skills. This is leading some of them to engage in hazardous activities, and what I despise about the reaction to it is the simple fact that disparaging them won't fix the situation at all. Taking action to provide safe third spaces is an option, being active participants in shaping our communities is an option, and, perhaps most importantly, letting go of our intense desire to be unannoyed is definitely an option.