Millennial is not a bad word

Can you hear me now?  No, Please text it to me.

R U getting this? No? TTYL8R!

So recently and not so recently, I have seen a lot of complaining about “millennials.”  Hell, I have made some comments myself.  However, if you truly pay attention to them you may be surprised.  Sure, they spend all their time on their phones/laptops and sometimes conversations with them are less forthcoming and understandable than a Neanderthal, but they seriously have some fantastic morals and awareness that I know I did not have at their age.  For example, almost every one of my oldest’s millennial friends were extremely aware of the election as the platforms.  Even though most were not old enough to vote.  They had interpersonal debates, discussions and delved deep into public policy, women's rights, consumerism, and foreign policy.  

 They also have a true touch on the future of the planet.  You know the one WE are supposed to be protecting for them?  THEY may end up saving it for us! We call my kids the recycling nazi's because they will honestly chastise me if I put the wrong bottle in the wrong bin.  My son and daughter even compost in the summer!  

Another thing I have noticed about Millennials is that they genuinely love “people.”  By this, I mean they are open minded, forgiving and accepting.  Empathy is valued more than criticism.   I have witnessed open and honest conversations between teens that have deep tones of empathy for each other….yes, they are done via Snaps, Lines, MMS, etc and not face to face, but they are doing it.  And this isn’t just girls, it is the boys too.  The millennial young men I have known are not afraid to express themselves and their feelings.  They stand up for themselves and do not discount their or their friends’ feelings.  They not only accept individual differences, but truly seem to embrace and make efforts to understand the "why" of differences.  

Some may call them "liberals" in a snide or dismissive way.  Or say that they are unrealistic and romanticizing real life.  However, historically speaking, they said the same thing about flight, women's rights, and autonomous cars....

Millennials have a lot to say and a lot of it is awesome.  Maybe we should stop criticizing them and

start listening.  We may need to adapt to the new genres of communication and not expect them to go back to telephones with 5foot cords in the kitchen.  We may just learn something important.

Cheers!

Momginerd