People talk about the greatest generation: those who bravely faced Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers in WWII. And no doubt these men and women and children stepped up to do incredibly hard things to overcome evil.
I want to talk about the COVID generation. The generation of children right now growing up amid a pandemic. I know these children will grow up to do great and amazing things because they already are.
I am not a fan of generational praises and critiques. Each one has dealt with situations not experienced by those previous and those that follow. They are using skills and values taught to them by previous generations, adapting them to their current situation, and then teaching these new skills to the next generation… social evolution. So branding entire generations as good or bad, brave or cowardly, lazy or productive, never really feels like the whole story. Instead, it feels like a way to blame someone else for the way things are.
So let me tell you what I am seeing in my own children, and in their friends, during this time of COVID.
I am seeing children do really brave things. Whether that is getting vaccinations, wearing a mask they do not like but are asked to wear, or transitioning to new learning environments because that is what their parents feel is best for them. All of these adaptations to this new world are steps of bravery.
I am seeing children become extremely empathetic. They understand the why for hard things, and they are choosing to make a difficult decision. We recently had to discuss why we are not going to have large birthday parties, again, this year, and our children were incredibly disappointed, but also incredibly understanding of the decision. It makes me livid that we are STILL having to modify our lives two years since COVID landed, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are in charge of making these decisions for our family and will do what we feel is best for us.
I am seeing children have more gratitude. Likely because they all experience so much loss over the last two years. They are grateful for time with loved ones, as they now know what it means to have to be absent from each others’ lives. They are grateful to go to school, as they now know what it is like to learn at home in isolation. They are grateful to be healthy, as they have seen the effects of serious illness. They are grateful for opportunities to do fun things because they know how these things are not necessities of life.
So while COVID SUCKS. Like I hate it. I think we can all learn from our children. Let’s all be more empathetic, brave, and grateful for the good in our lives.