Alright ladies and gents, let's talk about a touchy subject - entitlement. Is society perpetuating this mindset that causes our elders to roll their eyes clearly showing their disdain? To me, the answer is simple - yes. I'm not here to offend anyone, put down coaching methods, or criticize parenting styles, but I know I am going to step on a few people's toes (including my own).

"Kid's today are...spoiled brats, disrespectful, not what they used to be", take your pick. These are all things uttered about the youth of today. While our generation does have good qualities, such as being more open minded than others before us and are provided with substantially more opportunities, a general consensus shows that our "everybody wins" mentality is a Millennial's moniker. The politically correct reasoning taught as early as the T-Ball years is actually just setting us up for failure in life because we have no concept of reality. Yes, we want kids to feel good about themselves, and yes, we want kids to know they're talented or smart, but they also need to know that it is from hard work. Getting a trophy should be something that is celebrated; it's a lot more fun to celebrate something that was earned, not because it was received "just because they showed up."

Society has essentially gotten rid of losing, and our generation is suffering. It would be nice if everybody could win, but that's just not real life; let's all be honest with ourselves. Participation trophies can inflate a child's self esteem or cause a low self esteem. Sports that used to teach a healthy self image, teamwork, and how to take a loss with dignity and pride in hard work now teach kids how "awesome" they are before they accomplish anything at all. Schools and institutions that used to teach good study habits now have done away with failing grades. All this so called "helping" is just hurting! Although everyone hates to lose, losing sometimes is a good thing. It builds character, teaches dignity and self respect, and foreshadows real life. Not everything in life is fair. We need to start learning from our mistakes instead of pretending like we never make any. Life's going to be tough, so when you fall down, get back up. Take your bad days in stride, take opportunities, take care of yourself, and work hard to earn what you want; that's what makes a winner.