Adults are quick to judge the younger generation.

"Those darn kids are..."

You've heard it. I've heard it. Everyone, at some point in their life, has fit into the darn kid category. Ironically, the generation who is doing the name calling? They've been there too. They've been a darn kid running around and causing chaos, making mistakes. And the ones before them? They were darn kids too. Darn kids go a long way back.

Darn kids are the ones who fought in our nation's wars.

Darn kids invented the Internet.

Darn kids grow up to become Presidents, and it is the darn kids who make a difference.

So far, history has showed us many generations of change. Many generations that were told they were silly and wrong and messed up, yet they ended up being responsible for progress.

Every generation is responsible for change, and the generations before them are quick to judge the change they see taking place in their world. So the darn kids are labeled, ridiculed, and told how screwed up their generation is. Even the straight-laced, goody-two-shoe kids are thrown in with the general masses. Even those kids feel the weight of judgement on their generation.

It has to stop.

There are certain ages that mark special things. You can drive at 16. Watch R rated movies at 17. Vote and go to war at 18. Drink at 21. These are ages that yield responsibility. They are ages that are pronounced important, and supposedly, these ages show trust in the individual.

You know what doesn't know age? Importance. Trust. And the capability to be brilliant; to have purpose. Those darn kids may not be off their parent's medical insurance, but those darn kids are capable. What they lack is the world telling them just that.

I know I'm a darn kid. At the age of 20, I understand that I'm in the "entitled generation." Apparently we're the ones who are going to start fires and let things go off where they've never gone before.

I can only imagine what they said about the hippies back in '69.

Am I proud of everyone my age who gives me a bad name? No. I don't like being thrown in with the kids who make bad choices. But that doesn't mean I've condemned them to a lifetime of bad choices. And that does not mean that I believe everyone in my generation is lost. My generation? We care, and we do something about what we care about.

My generation is not a lost cause.

My generation shows that they are capable, willing, and passionate about causes. In every city, there are youth leadership programs. Young people sit on city council boards. Service, outreach opportunities and programs to give back to the less fortunate are everywhere. Who starts these initiatives?

Darn kids, that's who.

Darn kids have hearts. Darn kids raise awareness for causes and projects that are bigger than they will ever be. Darn kids want to help. They want to be a part of something that makes a difference.

Darn kids huh?

Creativity, awareness, and a sense of community. Innovation and persistence. That's what I see in darn kids these days. We are educated, and we are growing up in a world that requires us to care.

So we do.

We care.

On every college campus, there are clubs, startup companies, and students who use their talents for the good of others. Darn kids are the best at bringing what they love to help who they love.

Breakfast Supply Co. is a clothing line out of Phoenix, Arizona. Portions of all sales go to help St. Mary's Food Bank. This company was started by a college student.

Love Your Melon is an apparel company that is run by college students across the country. Their goal is to provide a hat to every child battling cancer in America. These hats are provided in person by college students dressed up as superheroes.

CollegeSpring is a program that partners with low-income schools to help students raise SAT scores and pursue college. It was founded by college students.

Food Recovery Network was started by a college Senior. The original plan was to collect leftover food from college cafeterias, and it soon grew to a large nonprofit thats goal is to provide for the homeless.

These are just four of hundreds of organizations that were started by darn kids. Darn kids, caring about things other than themselves and doing good in the world.

Avoid the stereotype. Avoid the name calling. Give the darn kids a break, and appreciate what they have to offer. Let them make suggestions, and for heaven's sake, ask for their opinion every now and then. Darn kids have good things to say, and need to be heard.

Don't let the darn kids of yesterday smother the darn kids of today.