After being told by his parents that he was ‘a champ’ for his entire little league career, a freshman is cut from the baseball team. Handling the disappointment is an extreme trial for this teenager, whereas for his parents, it may have been seen as one of life’s little failures.

The difference is that as generations have progressed, so has the way they have raised their children. According to adolescent and adult psychologist Jodi Eisenhauer, each generation raises the next based on their experiences growing up.

“The past is the best predictor of the future,” Eisenhauer said. “Every generation has seen some predictable trends. We either repeat identically what we know or go to the opposite extreme and rebel.”

Eisenhauer thinks that many in the last generation grew up in a “tough-love” environment, causing them to want their children to be raised with an easier home life. This mindset led to the prevalence of coddling in the Millenials.

“I think the main driving force is we want better for our children,” Eisenhauer said. “We don’t want our children to hurt.”

Social studies teacher Chris Dunback believes that this generation’s parents had good intentions.

“Your parents are guilty of loving you so much they don’t want to see you in pain,” Dunback said. “Your parents adore you. They’re not going to crush your dreams.”

Senior Devin Ellison sees the effects of coddling on his classmates because he was raised differently.

“[My dad] definitely expects me to work and provide for myself,” Ellison said. “Some people don’t really have a good idea of what’s coming in the real world, and it will be a shock. A lot of people are not going to realize the amount of work that it takes to get good jobs.”

Every semester, Dunback asks students to write their goals for life.

“I think our goals right now as kids are high,” Dunback said. “Maybe we’ve always been like that, but I think there used to be a lot more realism.”

A change in motivation is part of what Ellison sees as the cause of a transformation in parenting styles.

“[There has been] a general shift in attitude…as America has shifted from blue collar to white collar,” Ellison said.

Eisenhauer agrees that a family’s financial situation can affect how one raises their children.

“The last generation didn’t have the means; there were some natural financial limitations,” Eisenhauer said. “[The current] generation…has had the ability to self-indulge.”

Eisenhauer believes that this indulgence will have negative side-effects in the future.

“It breeds entitlement and narcissism,” Eisenhauer said. “They have an [attitude] that ‘the world owes me.’”