A good friend of mine has a kid, a junior in high school. This kid has never attended the school prom or even been on a date. Doesn't have a job. Has a driver's license, but his mom drives him everywhere. He seems to show no interest in getting a car or becoming more independent.

Near as I can tell, he just plays video games and goofs around with his phone. There is nothing wrong with the kid as far as mental or physical conditions, he just refuses to grow up. His parents are overbearing and too involved, but I think it goes beyond that.

Is this typical of the new crop of younger missionaries?

It's been that way for years.

However, before the age limit was lowered, they at least used to work for a year before going on their missions.

Now, with no work experience, with no experience interacting with the world outside of their homes and schools, the boys will find the cultural shock much more difficult to deal with.

What an inspired decision.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2013 01:22PM by jl.

I think it is a clear act of desperation. They are selling their seed corn.

I can't speak to all the younger missionaries, but it does sound an awful lot like most of that is on the overbearing helicopter parents. Why would a kid strive toward independence when it's so much easier to sit back and let mommy and daddy make all the decisions, and take responsibility for all the consequences? There's no incentive if you do every single stinkin' thing for your kid. I see a LOT of this in the Millenial generation. People get into their early and mid-20s and have no idea how to function independently as adults because they've never had to and their parents never let them make a mistake. This is why I think Generation Snowflake's "Everyone's a winner" attitude is very harmful now that Generation Snowflake are growing up and finding out that they are not perfect, unique, interesting, special winners; they are just like everyone else only they don't have any problem-solving or decision-making skills.