When I was a child, I played soccer for four consecutive years. Although my team never won the playoffs, I have inevitably become the owner of four shiny gold trophies.

I distinctly remember during our final championship game, I thought to myself, “It’s okay if I don’t win because I’ll still get a trophy,” which led me to stop trying.

That is exactly what has happened to my generation. You reward children for losing, and they gain an unnecessary sense of entitlement that follows them into adulthood.

The generation of millennials have become a group of weak, spineless individuals who return to their “safe space” anytime they become offended or threatened. I’m sure that somewhere out there, somebody will become offended by this article. That being said, I do not care if you are offended, and I’m not sorry for stating my opinion. Did that trigger you even more?

Now that being said, not all millennials carry themselves with a sense of entitlement, this is simply a generalization. There still remain a few outliers that walk among us with a proper sense of self.

So why did I receive those four shiny gold trophies if I didn’t win? I received them because there were a few children who got upset about not winning and cried to their parents.

Then those children's parents would then complain, “Little Johnny was really upset about not winning, so he should get a trophy so he doesn't feel left out.” This mentality is extremely damaging. It rewards those who do not deserve it, and it takes the satisfaction of winning away from the winners.

The parents should have sat little Johnny down and explained to him that he didn't receive that shiny gold trophy because he didn't win. Harsh, isn’t it? No, not really - it’s the reality of life. The other team won fair and square. They should take their frustrations of losing and turn it into motivation to work harder next time. That is how my parents raised me, and that is why I am not spineless. I will speak my mind without a second thought, and I try to take criticism with a grain of salt. I don’t expect people to make accommodations for me because I’m “offended” at something they said. I speak up when my feelings are hurt, and then move on. I do not cling to the comments and let them define me.

Now there are certain things that are appropriate to be offended by, and then there are individuals who sit and cry when somebody wasn’t nice to them. Someone made a comment that rubbed you the wrong way? Brush it off and move on. If you don’t care five minutes from now, don’t bring it up. Someone made a comment that was completely inappropriate and hurtful? Say something and speak up, and then move on. I feel sorry for those special snowflakes out there who sit in their “safe space” and cry because they become offended by someone simply stating their opinion.

If you can’t handle the fact that life isn’t fair, I feel very sorry for you and you are doomed for a life of misery. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are not always going to win. Not everybody will agree with what you have to say, and you will not agree with what others have to say.

I will not be rewarding my future children for losing. Their reward is the experience, not the trophy. I will teach them to work hard for the things that they want so that they don’t end up arguing with strangers on Facebook about how offended they are at an irrelevant cat video.

(Yes, that has happened. Sad, isn’t it? I saw it with my own eyes. Apparently, if someone posts a video of a sad looking cat, it is automatically being abused by its owner according to “experts” in the Facebook comments.)

My future children will not get rewards for simply existing. I will try to raise them to be well-rounded individuals who know the value of hard work and effort.

Adults don’t receive a shiny gold trophy for going to work, but they get monetary compensation for the hours they put in. The more hours you put in, the more money you receive. So why do we reward children for simply participating? If they want that “shiny gold trophy”, no matter what that trophy represents, they should put in the work necessary to obtain it.

Maybe the fragile millennials will raise their children to be different. We can only hope.