Empowering Our Children

This speech excerpt touches on several important points regarding how we define success for children and young adults in our society. Here are some key insights:

1. Pressure on youth: The speaker suggests that many young people are experiencing premature stress and anxiety, feeling pressured to achieve at high levels from an early age.

2. Mental health concerns: There's a mention of "high rates of anxiety and depression" among young people, indicating a significant mental health issue potentially linked to these pressures.

3. Narrow definition of success: The speaker criticizes the focus on a "tiny set of colleges or careers" as the primary path to success, implying that this limited view is harmful.

4. Parental expectations: There's a critique of parents who believe their children will have "no future" if they don't achieve specific academic or career goals, suggesting that these expectations may be unrealistic or overly rigid.

5. Need for validation: The quote "what you've done is enough" implies that many young people are lacking affirmation and acceptance for their efforts, regardless of outcomes.

6. Questioning life's value: The mention of young people wondering if "this life ever turn out to have been worth it" points to a crisis of meaning and purpose among youth.

7. Redefining success: The title "Redefining Success Beyond College" suggests a need to broaden our understanding of what constitutes a successful and fulfilling life.

This excerpt calls for a reevaluation of how we measure success and worth in young people's lives, advocating for a more holistic and less pressure-filled approach to child-rearing and education.

So, as you can see, raising our children is both an art and a science. We can nail it or screw things us for them. It's requires a bit of patience, compassion and a dash of luck.

At the end of the day, it's all about helping our kids grow up to be a better person, while helping them become productive contributors to the world around them.

Founder and Parent,
mybluegenes.com