learning something every day

The guest speaker at the parent-teacher meeting the other night was W. Timothy Rogers, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Tennessee. He spoke about "millennials," the generation born since 1982, which means the oldest of them are now in college.

Dr. Rogers presented some information from the books "Millennials Rising" and "Millennials Go to College." He also gave us some handouts with articles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today and other newspapers.

Many of the characteristics of millennials are nicely summarized on this site. The millennials are true optimists. They know they can change the world for the better. They have good relationships with their parents. They respect authority and believe in following the rules. The millennials have been highly watched over by parents who put "Baby On Board" signs in their cars during the '80s. Many of those parents are overly protective. By hovering over their kids, they earned the nickname "helicopter parents."

Dr. Rogers said that many college students need a "parent-ectomy." He and his peers are referring to cell phones as the "longest umbilical cords." The overly involved parents make Dr. Rogers' job much more difficult.

As a parent of two millennials, the presentation hit close to home. I think that my wife and I have allowed our kids to grow without hovering too much. The positive characteristics of millennials were things I could see in my own children. Of course, every parent believes their children are special but now I have proof.