Zitvast, herself a mother of four, is very critical of the current generation of young people. “I don’t see much humor in them,” she says. “For example, I think that this generation can not take criticism well. Many of them have mental problems. I think this is also very fed by coaches who jump on top of it and parents who go along with it.”
Parents play an important role in this, she thinks. As far as she is concerned, they could be a little harder in education. “You have to say now and then: dude, and now it’s done. A kick in the ass and keep going. I just miss that from the parents and I think this generation thrives on that.”
of ships
According to Jolien Dopmeijer, researcher into the mental health of young people, young people should be spared a little more. “There is a lot going on in the world, which also affects many young people and has consequences for them.”
Their vision of the future and social security are at stake, says Dopmeijer. “I think this should be recognized more.”
‘Easily said’
Tess Franken (21), a student at Leiden University, does not recognize herself at all in the image of ‘softies’ or ‘snowflakes’. In addition, it is easy to say and it does not solve much, she thinks. “I think we are very resilient and we are committed to improving things that are challenging in our future.”
She points out that a lot is going on in the lives of young people. “What kind of a future do we have? There is a climate crisis, a stalled housing market, a flexible labor market, but also pressure from social media. We are facing major challenges and there are mental complaints among students.”
Education
Zitvast thinks that parents play an important role in the pressure that young people experience. “Parents also want to meet the perfect picture, which puts enormous pressure on children. For example, there is the idea that every child has talent, but that is bullshit. Not every child has that and that’s okay. We also have people without We need talent who just do what needs to be done.”
Dopmeijer agrees with Zitvast that parents play an important role. “We see that parents have given a lot of love and care, but have also taken things away. That means that young people in particular miss a bit of challenge, which they need to grow and develop.”
But a kick in the ass is not quite the solution, she thinks. “I think the main thing is that they are challenged to learn to make mistakes and given space for that. If you remove all that in advance, you don’t create the opportunity to develop.”
