Every generation laments how "soft" the next generation has become. In some ways, this is true. I know that I personally live an incredibly pampered lifestyle. I mean, there are big things like a pool and an outdoor TV, but think of simple things like taking a hot shower every day. If there isn't any hot water, that is a "FML" moment for many people. I know I get short-tempered and easily perturbed when the weather drops below 60. In many physical ways, we are soft.
And then I look at the next generations, and they make me look like a Civil War solider in the pampering they need for a minimal level of happiness. Am I mad about this? No, ultimately technology has made life easier, and I think there is still plenty of progress to be made for people of future generations (most of this is involved in our work structure which is incredibly unfair to the average worker). If future generations are only working 30 hours a week, making a living wage, with four weeks of vacation at minimum, you'll see me applauding until my hands bleed. Still, I'm a little bitter about how soft they all are. This is a natural feeling, and every generation, heck, every person, wants a society that fits perfectly into their personal level of toughness.
The first thing that stands out is there aren't enough consequences for saying stupid shit. People can basically try to pick fights and if the other person is of sound mind, they will not hit them since they know they will go to jail for assault, even though that person fully deserves a beating. I mean, it's outrageous that somebody like Ben Shapiro or Rob Schneider can walk the streets without getting assaulted constantly. These people are absolute shit, and a beating would do them good. But instead, people can spout their bullshit about white race superiority, poor people just not working hard enough, and vaccines causing autism without being featured in a Kimbo Slice-esque (RIP) backyard brawl.
At this point, people can't even identify what tough is. There are actually a lot of people, like a shocking amount of people, who think Donald Trump is tough. He is the very definition of the guy that talks a bunch of shit, hoping nobody stands up to him and if he does get punched in the face he is ready to bring lawyers into it and sue the shit out of someone. That is the only reason he's been successful in anything he's done, and people think the guy who hides behind lawyers is "tough." Give me a break.
So, is there any reason to value toughness when raising a child? I mean, it's pretty clear that physical toughness has become obsolete in this world. You can't hit anybody, and even when you've been pushed too far, you've got cowards with guns that are looking for a reason to pull the trigger. There's no value in toughness. At least not for physical toughness.
But mental toughness is a different story. It's one thing that my generation and all older generations fail to grasp about what younger generations have to deal with. I have always had an abundance of self-confidence, some would even say a delusional level of self-confidence. It takes a lot to get me down, and I'm very lucky to have that quality. But it's also not bulletproof. I cannot truly understand what it is like to be young these days. When I was growing up, somebody could call me a piece of trash, and I could go about my day thinking that the person was just a dick. But imagine having dozens of people telling you that you suck day after day, with just a simple click of a button. I mean, if everybody I crossed on the street told me that I suck, even with a lot of confidence, I would slowly break down and start to think that I probably suck.
That's what kids deal with today, and it's just brutal. You have to be mentally tough, because it seems like kids (who are almost all assholes) are all ganging up to ruin someone's day. I obviously hope that things change and kids learn empathy at a far earlier age than I did, but I'm not counting on it. My son is two, so hopefully all of this is far off, but the way this kid handles himself, my delusional self-confidence may be an inherited trait.
So even though physical toughness has become nearly obsolete, mental toughness still has plenty of value in today's world. To be honest, I have no clue how to teach it, but I have the delusional self-confidence that makes me know that I can figure it out. I feel like that's a pretty good start.