Encounter with Gen Alpha Kids
I went out today and asked two Gen Alpha kids, ages 11 and 10, to clean a room filled with their school things—books, crayons, notebooks, and other items. I didn’t tell them that I was planning to buy them food as a reward.
When I came back, the room was still filthy. I told them that I would have bought them Jollibee if they had cleaned the room before I arrived. The 11-year-old simply replied, “Jollibee isn’t that good anyway.”
It made me think about how different things seem to be now. When I was a kid, even if my mom came home with just some bread from a local bakery, I genuinely appreciated it. It wasn’t about how expensive or special the food was—I was simply grateful that someone thought of me.
Sometimes I wonder if kids today have become more difficult to impress or less appreciative of the little things. Maybe it’s not necessarily that they’re insensitive, but that they’re growing up in a time when they have access to so much more and are exposed to so many things at an early age. Still, that moment made me realize how important it is to teach children gratitude and appreciation, especially for the simple things.