Letter to the editor: Our society needs to toughen up
The letter “We need to help young people learn to deal with stress” (May 28, TribLIVE) was a wonderful piece about how we in the mental health profession need to teach our clients how to handle stress. I could not agree more.
In an effort to shield our kids from failure and disappointment, well- intentioned parents, educators and therapists have done a great disservice to our youth. The “every kid gets a participation trophy” mindset has shielded our kids from learning how to handle the stressors of life.
In my generation, 18-year-olds were drafted into military service and shipped off to fight in Vietnam; today’s 18-year-old needs a therapy dog on a college campus during finals week in order to handle test- taking stress. And please do not get me started on the “emotional support” animal craze that has taken over our country. Though occasionally asked, I refuse to write a letter stating that one of my clients cannot function without bringing along a living, breathing “teddy bear” for comfort and emotional support as they undertake the activities of everyday life.
We need to toughen up. As one client told me in a session, “I was never allowed to fail at anything as a kid. We all got participation trophies. Now, here I am in my mid-20s, and I don’t know how to handle life.” Those of us in the mental health field must shoulder some of the blame.
Lisa Pope
Latrobe
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.