How Schools Help Turn Children into Coddled Young Adults

People are complaining that the milennials won’t grow up, and in many cases they’re right. But who’s at fault? Their parents for coddling them, and the schools for treating teens like children.

This article points out what limited freedom today’s teens have. Even working is seen as inferior to going to school. Back in the 1970s, teens who didn’t want to go to college could go to school until noon and then leave for work. Now, if they work, they’re dragged back to the waste of time that is modern high school. Never mind that those first few jobs get young people on the road to eventually supporting themselves by giving them a taste of earning their own money.

While you’re there, scroll down and check out the chart in that same article, the chart showing the growth in students, teacher and administrators since 1950. There hasn’t even been 100% growth in the number of students, but we’ve gained 252% in the number of teachers, and a whopping 702% in the number of administrators.

Clearly public education has become a cash cow for many people, while preparing teens for adulthood takes a back seat. Savvy parents will put their teens’ needs first and help them get ready for adulthood without waiting for permission from the school, while homeschooling parents have the freedom to make the teen years a launching pad into adulthood, which is as it should be.

(Prepare your teen for adulthood with my book, Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers, now available in an expanded third edition, and also newly released as an eBook.)

Teens are Being Hired Again

What good news: in some parts of the country, companies are hiring teens again. This article describes the kinds of jobs some of these kids are doing. We’re not just talking fast-food jobs, but jobs that offer a future, even if it just means earning enough to be able to pay for future training.

The young man who is still in high school and also works part-time “operating mechanical design software to create aircraft parts” reminds me of my husband, who worked a drafting job in high school which led to his future career. I’m so glad to hear such opportunities are becoming available to teens again!

Potential Career Areas for Young People

Thanks to technology, careers with promise are always changing. This article lists nine areas that bode well for future work, because they are all areas where it’s expected there will be future growth. If you have a teen who doesn’t know what they want to do with their life, reading this article might give them a few ideas.

Too Much Socialization

It looks like parents’ and teachers’ overemphasis on the socialization of children of recent years has finally borne some pretty ugly fruit. Yet another study has shown that there’s been a precipitous drop in teens’ happiness and mental health since 2012, and it’s being linked to the use of smartphones, and specifically social media.

This is no surprise. Yes, kids need time with their friends, whether in person or virtual, but they also need time without friends so that they can mentally regroup and enjoy downtime, even quiet time. This may be more crucial for introverts than extroverts, but all kids need time to be alone and to think. The smartphone has taken that away, and we’re just now seeing the cost. One has to wonder where it will all lead.