Trophy Kids

"It's not the one who comes in first who wins, but the one who has the most fun." Really? I heard this concept this morning while watching 'Yo Gabba Gabba' with my son. I immediately began thinking about my generation of 'trophy kids.'

[Except from Black Millennial Women in Leadership]

‘Trophy kids’ is a term coined to describe the Millennial generation who grew up receiving trophies and excessive praise just for participating, but not necessarily excelling. The excessive praise this generation received from adults helped avoid damaging their self-esteem. As a result, trophy kids have grown up to be confident and accomplished and are even characterized as narcissistic as result of their parents’ coddling. Many employers believe that this group has unrealistic expectations about their jobs and life in general.
[.....]
Millennials are sometimes called the "Trophy Generation", or "Trophy Kids," a term that reflects "no one loses" and everyone gets a "Thanks for Participating" trophy, thus symbolizing their perceived sense of entitlement.
[.....]
There is emerging data that characterizes Millennials by race and age demographics...Millennial women and Minority Millennials tend to be more pro-government, with sixty-one percent of Blacks saying government should do more to solve problems (Davis, 2010). This study is unsure how to contextualize the latter statistic.
Millennials are also socially conscious and tech savvy as a result of growing up with Internet. Nineteen percent are college graduates because they’ve been born into a generation where education is viewed as a must and they do not to mind working (Davis, 2010). Forty-one percent are employed full time with approximately sixty-one percent working full or part time (Davis, 2010). As a result of their perceived sense of entitlement, Millennials are sometimes misunderstood in the workplace.

Source:
Jackson, Jenny (2010). Black Millennial Women in Leadership. Queens University of Charlotte: Charlotte, NC.

References:
Davis, Bonnie (2010). “Minority Millennials are more pro-government, pro-family than peers.” Retrieved April 4, 2010. http://www.thegrio.com/news/minority-millennials-are- more-pro-government-family-than-peers.php.

Related Reading - Today’s Lesson: How to kill a kid’s self-esteem