Quote - I agree, Shane. We do infantalize our youth. What does it take to be a relatively successful self-sufficient adult these days? 20 years of education plus the time it takes to pay off student loans?

Add to that the helicopter parent (which isn't all that of a new phenomena: I remember babysitting an 8 year old who claimed that he didn't know where the glasses were in the kitchen, so he couldn't get his own drink of water, and I think he was likely telling the truth) -- it's hardly their fault. But given that many (though certainly not all) have grown up under these influences, how do you go about restoring both responsibility and empowerment? Well, may be a subject that risks becoming political.

Exactly, it's not their fault. It is how they are raised. Children are a reflection of society. That's why there's really nothing that can be done about it. It took centuries to get to this point and it will likely take just as long to go back. Kind of like a tree, the roots can be just as deep, if not deeper, as the tree is tall. The only way it can be restored is when they're forced to deal with things most young people today have no comprehension of ever having to deal with. But yeah, it all ties back ultimately to politics. 

 

~Shane