Millennials Deserve More Respect And Here Is Why

My son is in the controversial age group known as the Millennials. In many ways, he embodies what that term has come to symbolize: he is stubborn, refuses to adhere to traditional expectations, and has chosen to go his own way in many aspects of life.

Through witnessing his progress first hand, I have come to see one thing quite clearly: he doesn't deserve less respect simply because he is a millennial. With so many editorials blasting his generation, I wanted to share my own opinions with the nay-saying Baby Boomers out there who claim Millennials are lazy, rudderless, or useless. Because none of those things are true.

Millennials Are Working Towards Careers In Innovative Ways

When my son began writing content for an online site, I didn’t see it as anything more than a hobby. They weren't paying him for his work and I thought he was wasting his time. I didn't understand his reasoning but as it turns out, he had a plan all along. I was the one being shortsighted.

He ended up taking that writing job as an internship. Through his free work, he was able to gain experience and published work. He got his name out there and used it to get his foot in the door for other opportunities. He began finding paid writing work on bigger and better websites. Before long he was making great money doing what he loved, and growing by the day.

They Accept And Respect The Equal Rights Of Men And Women

Obviously the topic of gender is a highly controversial one today. But we can all agree that gender roles have been changing in the fight for equality, and for the better. My son is proof of that in his everyday activities, and his lack of shame in taking part in what in other generations might have been scoffed at as “woman’s work”.

His girlfriend is also an example of this mentality. She is an engineering student, joining the growing ranks of female STEM professionals.

Millennials Are Running The World With Technology

Older generations barely know how to operate an iPhone. Millennials on the other hand, are out there creating the next big apps, software, robots and more. You have only to glance over crowdfunding sites like IndieGogo and Kickstarter to see what incredible things this particular generation is dreaming up and carrying out.

They're Correcting A Problem With Health That Previous Generations Created

Millennials are very concerned with this topic and have taken strides to improve their own health much more than generations before them. They're questioning the food industry. They're going back to basic food theories and focusing on putting good fuel into their bodies while also addressing the issue of fat shaming and "healthy body image".

As you can see the idea that millennials are not deserving of respect is an outdated, and a very unfair one. Though there are youth who are suffering from a lack of responsibility, our culture is being inundated with smart, creative youth who are making the world a better place - who are fixing the mistakes created by previous generations and looking for ways to grow in a positive direction.