Here’s a blast from the past story about my personal opinion versus his professional opinion, both generation opinion biased.

My boomer generation opinion

It was 1991, and I was carpooling two bunheads to after-school ballet class.

“Hey Jessica, did the self-esteem guy come to your class today?”

“Yeah, Vanessa, it was SO funny! The guy picked Kelly to sit on a chair and told her to sit or stand depending on how she felt, then he said you come to school and find out that there’s a spelling test and you forgot to study – Kelly slumped in the chair – then you get in trouble with the teacher and get sent to the principal’s office – Kelly groveled on the floor – then the principal gives you peppermint candy – Kelly sat back up on the chair – and then this really hot boy comes along and says I think you’re really hot I want to go out with you – Kelly stood on her tiptoes on the chair, it was SO funny!”

“Yeah, yeah, it was SO funny!”

“Wait a minute, girls,” I said, “that’s not how you get self-esteem. You study for that spelling test and try your best to do well and stay out of trouble. Why would anyone give you candy for misbehaving, and what’s this about boys telling girls that you’re hot in 4^th and 5^th grade? Who gave this workshop anyway?”

The next day, I wrote a letter to my daughter’s principal to verify the story and express my concern. I think I used the words “offended as a person, mother, teacher and woman.” If you haven’t guessed already, I am a baby boomer, raised by Depression and WWII-era parents.

His gen me generation opinion

The principal passed my message along to the young man who gave the workshop, a self-esteem expert working for a reputable social service organization and hired by the school to teach that curriculum. She related back to me that he was very upset by my letter. Now I know why. The self-esteem expert was a member of Generation Me.

According to Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. author of Generation Me, children who grew up in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, are independent, confident, tolerant, assertive, special, entitled – and miserable. By the 70’s, perhaps due to societal shifts such as divorce, that misery exhibited itself in measurable declines in children’s self-esteem. And thus, the call went out for all schools to teach self-esteem, that is, self-esteem for self-esteem’s sake.

Twenge did not discuss the curriculum specifically, but if my daughter’s experience was representative, it’s no wonder the personal responsibility message got flipped. To Me’s, self-esteem is who you are innately, not what you do, and it’s not your fault when things don’t work out. Unsurprisingly, things didn’t work out. The results of all these self-esteem programs according to Twenge, was zero, no impact, nothing – except Me’s have a harder time with criticism like mine. And as young adults, they suffer higher rates of anxiety, loneliness and depression.

Experts now recommend replacing self-esteem curriculum with practices that focus on self-control and self-discipline. “True self-confidence comes from honoring your talents and learning things, not from being told you’re great just because you exist,” Twenge wrote. “There is nothing wrong with being good at some things and not others – that’s life.” I would add: work hard to develop and use talents, abilities and skills; act responsibly, justly and humbly; care for others lovingly – that’s life.

His all generation Truth

This morning, sitting at my desk, writing this post and referring to the Lutheran Study Bible we ordered for teaching Sunday School, I opened to this passage.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 ESV

As Pastor Scott Sauls wrote, beautiful people don’t just happen. We choose to let grace be recognized in us as an ongoing expression of our being. Not generation opinion but truth for all generations.

Linkup with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2023/09/21/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-opinion/