According to an article in yesterday's USA Today, the latest college trend is designer dorm rooms. Female students and their parents are hiring interior designers to transform their austere dorm rooms into spaces that look like something from the pages of Southern Living Magazine. The transformations carry a price tag as designers typically work for $100 an hour or more. A typical redecorating job could run four to six hours. The use of designers is not limited to exclusive private schools, as some state schools are also experiencing the trend as well. "Parents view this as an investment to keep kids happy and focused," one designer noted.
While I am surprised at the latest trend, nothing shocks me anymore. When I was a high school counselor there was a male student who drove a two year old Chevy Malibu. He was hardly a scholar, so when he showed a sudden interest in his grades I inquired why. It seem the new Camero had come out and he wanted one. His dad promised to replace his current car if his grades improved. He performed and got the car, but two weeks later on a Friday I noticed he was driving a Mercedes. Turns out it was dad's car. The Camero was not suitable for a date night, he informed me. It was but one case of a teenager determining their wants and then demanding that mom and dad accomondate them.
Experience tells me that we are doing our children a disservice when we seek to meet their every demand. One of the characteristic of Millennials, those born between 1985 and 2002, is that they are focused on themselves. That has become a characteristic because its something parents have cultivated by fulfilling every dream. We need to teach our children the difference between wants and needs. The best way to model that is through the lifestyle we live.
No comments:
Post a Comment