Yes, There Are Still Lots Of Great Kids Out There

I just binged Adolescence.

Oh. My. God.

Everyone is talking about how this generation is so messed up.

The thing is, though, we only ever hear the bad stories.

We never hear of a story going viral about some kid who took out the trash AND put a new liner in the can.

We never hear of a story going viral about a kid who found a dog, checked the tags, and made sure that it got home safely.

We never hear of a story going viral about kid who followed instructions and turned their homework in on time.

There are plenty of great kids out there.

I have a middle-school student who told me that he wrote a book.

It wasn’t an assignment, he just wanted to do it.

He very excitedly told me all about the plot, and he promised that he would upload it for me to read.

I can’t wait!

Another student, only ten years old, knew what a hyperbole was.

And if that wasn’t enough, a few days later, we were discussing idioms such as “the apple of my eye,” and “it’s raining cats and dogs,” and he said, “That’s like a hyperbole, right?”

Yes, you brilliant child, yes, it is.

Another time, we were discussing apostrophes, and I told the kids that it drives me absolutely crazy to see apostrophes in plurals.

You see it all the time, especially in restaurants with handwritten signs.

One girl asked timidly, “So what do we do when we see it?”

“Nothing!” I assured her, “it’s rude to randomly correct people.”

She giggled in relief.

I think that she was afraid that she would have to correct the sign.

Nope.

She can just be proud that she knows how to use an apostrophe correctly.

Mr. Rogers said that during times of crisis, look for the helpers.

To paraphrase Mr. Rogers, after you watch Adolescence, look for the great kids.

They’re out there.