Oh, Oh
By Pamela Bahrami

“Oh, oh!”

No, don’t worry.

 Nothing’s wrong.

 “Oh, oh” is a term some sociologists use to identify the decade we are presently in (you know, those double zeroes in “2008”).  This is a decade that, in terms of generational transitions, is crucial because the oldest of our latest generation – known either as the “Millennials” or “Generation Y” – are reaching adulthood and they are posed to take the helm and define the course our country will take in the next 20 to 30 years. This generation spans the birth years from 1982 to 2002 (or so) so that means that the OBGYN or Endocrinologist at Kaiser you see (how old ARE they, anyway?!) as well as our little darlings in Kinder Village are part of this next –and some say- great generation.

Mainstream media loves drama and if they can find a corner of dark, misguided youth to tell us about they will.  Listening to them, this generation is universally tattooed, pierced, can’t read and don’t give a hoot about politics.

But research suggests – or even insists – that this just isn’t so.  According to sociologists Neil Hume and William Strauss in their book, Millennials Rising, this generation is unlike any in living memory.  They are more numerous, more affluent, better educated and more diverse.  They also show a talent for teamwork and optimism.  Their book was published in 2000 – before the fateful 9/11 – but despite some tweaking that may be inevitable from such a catastrophic event – my personal experience of this generation suggests that their findings haven’t changed drastically.  After all, recently this youth are credited with inspiring the dramatic results in the Iowa caucuses last week.

No generation has ever been as nurtured, supported, loved and indulged as this one and, while it may seem that that would translate into a group of selfish and self-absorbed young people, quite the opposite may be true.  All that cuddling and nourishing may have accomplished exactly what we “Oh, oh” parents wanted: children who feel self confident, optimistic, eager to please and achieve – and who will make a difference in the society they live in.

One writer said “the scariest thing about the kids today is what adults think about them”.  Baby Boomer and Gen X parents tend to look at their children as if their offspring will just continue a linear trajectory towards more defiance, more unrest and more cynicism.  But sociologists say that generational changes are never linear; they shift and squirm.  Our kids today are actually filling the role in the cycle of generations that the “Silent Generation” did when they came to adulthood.  They did what was necessary, they were very successful and they valued family and basic values above anything else.

Three basic principles apply to any rising generation in any non-traditional (American) society that allows young people some freedom. Any rising generation:   (1.  solves a problem facing the prior youth generation  whose style has become dysfunctional in the new era Gen X); (2. corrects the behavioral excess it perceives in the current midlife generation (Boomers) and (3 fills the social role being vacated by the departing elder generation (Silent). 

Based on this paradigm, our children will be amenable to rules, they are likely to respect authority, be hopeful about the future, be willing to work together to solve problems (hello! bi-partisanship) and be well educated and willing to work with people of all colors, ethnic backgrounds, and religious affiliations.

If any generation can make a change in this complex and troubled world, it is this one:

I’m proud to say that will be  “our kids.”

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Pamela Bahrami is a Los Angeles Middle School administrator and mom to two "Oh Oh" generation children.

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This article was reprinted with the author's permission and is not available for reprint.