Having Faith In "Kids These Days"

Nothing makes a good day better than a good ol' dose of youthful enthusiasm.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Amherst's Girls on the Run teams over the past week for a couple stories on Amherst Patch (Find them here and here) Young girls between 8 and 13-years-old are taught life skills and build self-esteem and confidence as they train for a celebratory 5K run.

One cannot help but be caught up in the positive energy these girls had as they worked hard on their respective projects. In an age where more and more kids are wasting their time online, it was a healthy reminder that many others are looking to make a difference in themselves and their community.

Having confidence in the younger generation is a challenging task for a twentysomething with an old soul such as myself. I find myself audibly sighing when I see young boys dressing like rap stars or young girls obsessively texting one another. Many strike me as materialistic and chronically apathetic.

How can this new wave of ignorant, yet incredibly tech-savvy, hooligans support the our nation's future? KIDS THESE DAYS! Bah humbug.

I think of that, and then I think about young girls such as these who are learning to believe in themselves and building pride in their accomplishments. Girls on the Run tells them not to be like everybody else; to not be a carbon copy of those youngsters from a Justin Bieber video.

Girls on the Run teams embrace the individual talents and value of each of their girls. None of them are being taught to narrow themselves in order to fit in the single file line of youthful conformity.

This “girl power” is a wonderful thing, along with the idea that women are an important part of making our world a better place. With so many societal influences ready to break them down, like fashion magazines, television and even their own peers, it is a joy to see these girls arming themselves now for the challenges ahead.

We need strong women to lead our communities, and our nation, as the world's challenges get increasingly complex. These girls have role models who truly care about their development and turning them into these leaders.

Our culture seems intent on making kids grow up faster than they should, but Girls on the Run is introducing positive and mature concepts before that happens. We all know how hard it is to get a preteen or teenager to listen to just anything but their band’s latest album.

Maybe thinking about the future of our youth it is just a part of getting older. I bet my grandparents felt the same mix of emotions about the generation that came after them, just as I am concerned about the kids I see out and about. 

Every generation is unprepared for the changes coming in the next, but it is programs like Girls on the Run that give me hope for the next batch of Americans who will soon be manning the helm (and will eventually begin to complain about “kids these days”).