I think we see this in today's retirees. For so long they have longed to
retire, and have that permanent vacation from having  need to work and be
busy. they retire and their lives become depressed and find need to look
for part time work to keep their minds busy. It is natural for a parent to
want their kids to do better than they did, the unfortunate part is they
confuse that with giving them all the things they didn't have as a kid
which they desired. they never let go of the things they felt they were
shorted growing up and vowed to give their kids what they did not have, a
car, a paid for college education, fancy clothes, whatever it is. I
sometimes feel as though I'm making it hard on my daughter who is entering
her second year in college and all we offered was a roof over her head, a
car to use while she stays here, and food. She is moving to campus this
year and the car stays here, the food and room and board is up to her as is
the tuition. But you know she is a much  more balanced person because of it
and still on the deans list. It is tough when, as a parent, you fill out
the FAFSA, financial aid papers, and the government takes the liberty to
claim the parent has X amount of responsibility to go good for the
education. does not this child vote for the president of the US? Do they
not have their own rights and responsibilities in this world? Why does the
government automatically decide for me, that I need to foot a certain bill
for my kids education? I have no problem helping, but to me that does not
constitute my paying for an education while we weaken our efforts at home
either. That is not to be confused with laying down anything that is
necessary for my kids' well being. We've done that in life for sure in many
areas. Perhaps Kathy, the old timers aren't as wise as we thought? If
they'd  known the old school thought of being in some want always keeps us
humble, keeps us active, keeps us from spoiling, maybe they'd have insured
those values were passed on to the generations to come.

Brad

Kathy Du Bois wrote:
>Brad,
>You are right to say that we are the instant generation.  We also have
>the belief that if we just talk enough, think enough, contemplate enough,
>everything can be fixed, but interestingly enough, (GRIN!) it is our
>parents, the silent, doer generation, that has helped to make us this
>way.  They were quiet, but they, on mass, wanted us to have a better life
>than they had so they set about to make our lives easier and richer and
>now we can see what richer and easier does to humanity.  It hasn't
>necessarily made us better, just more selfish, greedy and stuck on
>ourselves which is why we want to talk so much.  We want to confront or
>get "it," off our chests and try to get everybody else to change rather
>than be willing to accept and struggle and change ourselves.  The saddest
>thing to me is to watch senior citizens act like baby boomers.  Why not?
>We're the ones that demand all the attention.
>Kathy
>
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Brad

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