Let’s face it, those of us who are “boomers” have believed the world revolves around us for the past 60 years. No doubt we have shaped the nation, for better or worse, during its greatest and fastest era of growth, at least in part because of our sheer numbers and the technological advances that have happened in our lifetime. We also control most of the wealth in the U.S., so we do tend to flex our muscles when necessary.
As a group, we boomers need to face up to another fact. We are getting older, and while I’m not sure we like to admit it, we have done a so-so job of passing the baton to the next generations, in my humble opinion. We are a stubborn bunch, and while that’s not always a bad thing, sooner or later we need to pass the torch. We tend to arrogantly put down every generation that comes after us and we have convinced ourselves that today’s youth are going to screw everything up. Shame on us for having such little faith.
I absolutely love the Progressive Insurance commercials featuring the fictional “parenta-life” coach Dr. Rick that cynically asks, “Afraid of becoming your parents?” When the tailgate commercial featuring his clients attending a football game debuted, my kids immediately texted, “OMG Dad, that’s you!” Yup, I’m that guy who parks at the most efficient exiting spot and advocates leaving early in the fourth quarter to beat the traffic, especially on those crazy late-night whiteout games. Guilty as charged.
I really am becoming my parents. I’ve been told on more than one occasion, “You need Dr. Rick!” Need more proof?
Just like my father, I enjoy watching old movies and World War II documentaries, I retell old sports stories over and over again, and I’m a cheap S.O.B., except when it comes to convenience. We won’t spend $3.99 to rent a movie on demand but we’ll pay $5 for a 16-ounce bottle of water.
I also have no patience for certain things, just like my father. My family is tired of me complaining about:
- People who gas up and then leave their car at the pump for 15 minutes instead of moving to a parking space;
- Drivers who don’t understand the Zipper Merge method of taking two lanes into one; and
- Those driving agonizingly slow in the left lane, especially since there are signs everywhere for “State Law: Slower Traffic Move Right” and “Left Lane for Passing Only.”
Speaking of complaining about slow drivers, on April 5-6, I was scheduled to travel solo from South Carolina to do the keynote speech and a workshop for the PA District Key Club Annual Conference at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Afterwards I would travel to Pittsburgh for a family reunion celebrating my Aunt Gerri’s 75th birthday and to spend time with my parents. You may remember a column I just wrote titled Déjà Vu All Over Again, Again, in which I described my resurrected passion for softball and told of my dad injuring his right ankle and being in a boot.
Well, my 18-year-old brain overrode my 63-year-old body in a senior softball game, and I slid into second base stretching a single into a double. While I was safe, because that’s what really matters, I hadn’t slid in 25 years, and my less than textbook execution of the slide led to a severely sprained ankle. I could just hear Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump reminding me that “stupid is as stupid does” and anticipated my wife as Tom Hanks yelling, “There’s no sliding in senior softball!”
Like father, like son, my right ankle ended up in the boot. It also meant I couldn’t drive. Enter Uber Heidi to save the day. Just like my mother, always bailing out my father, there was my wife willingly (huh) ready to chauffeur me 11 hours to State College while I had a doctor’s note for R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). She was just thrilled.
So, after a tough couple of days of temporary loss of coordination and poor decision-making on the softball diamond, it was showtime. And what a show it was! DCON 2024, “Light up for Service” was outstanding as the young women and men of the Pennsylvania District of Key Club blew me away. It made me realize that if these young people were a sample of our future servant leaders, we should be excited to roar into the future.
Listening to the student leaders like District Governor Joshua Kim, International Trustee Alex Trinh, District Bulletin Editor Alexa Tira and District Secretary Treasurer Michael Mullisky was enlightening and filled me with a confidence that, “The Kids Are Alright” whether you know the 1965 song by The Who or the 2018 coming of age album by Chloe x Halle.
Cathy Szymanski, the CEO of eIT Support in Erie, is the Zone 1 administrator for Key Club and is a bundle of positive energy. She took me to the recognition room, where volunteers were judging contests submitted by clubs from around Pennsylvania so I could surprise my old friend and veteran Kiwanis and Key Club volunteer Matt Wise, who was one of the judges.
I spent time with Freeport native John Mazurkowski and his wife and learned about the activities in the Pittsburgh suburb where I played travel baseball as a youth. I also learned that John, who is director of the Electronic Manufacturing Center for Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, is good friends with my longtime friend Dan Leri.
The high school students were so impressive, and the volunteers bring so much passion and energy. I asked Bob Orlando, the PA District administrator for Key Club International, about the importance of getting young people involved in organizations like Key Club:
“I believe there are positive influences and negative influences on society. Call them good and evil, Yin and Yang. Community service that Key Club and other organizations and individuals perform counterbalance if not flip the balance of all the negative in our world. Caring about others is well and good. But Key Club shows teens how to put that caring into action. By doing this, the student builds their character, grows as a leader and not only helps society but also helps protect it. The impact of their service ripples good through society as well as through their life as servant leaders.”
As for my role, I like to think my talk resonated with the students. Morgan Coolbaugh, the Zone 5 administrator texted me a positive message: “I have been attending and help run Pennsylvania Key Club District conventions since 2014 and the amount of engagement from our students’ leaders from your keynote address was so positive and gave us all hope. They can take your lessons and use them to help people in their community. I genuinely want to thank you for coming and sharing your message it will definitely have an impact on our student leaders. And of course WE ARE!!”
You want to change a young person’s life? Sponsor a student, or better yet, if able, sponsor your local high school or a school that lacks resources to allow more kids to join these service-oriented organizations and activities.
You’ve heard this from me before. If you really want to make an investment in your child, get them involved in organizations like Key Club, PFEW, DECA, FBLA and Junior Achievement and send them to their conferences or other academic-related programs. Get them off of social media and actually talking to each other, in person. Attending conferences in my youth opened so many doors for me and created a network that still exists today.
When your kid needs to improve their pitching or their jump shot, you send them to camp or clinics or private lessons. When will we learn that it is even more important for them (and society) that you get them tutors for educational needs and wants first? I’m not saying don’t send them to basketball, soccer or other extracurricular activities camps. I’m advocating that you look at your resources and allocate them more wisely and practically.
If you added up all the time and money you spend sending your kids to sports camps versus what you have invested in their business, personal finance and academic pursuits, you’d be way better off.
If we boomers truly want to see continued success for our children and grandchildren, then we should do our part to mentor and coach them. But let’s not think we have all the answers. Give these young people a chance. After all, they really are the key to our future.
