Gen X Journey

It’s was the best of times and the worst of times for potential Aussie teenage role models (and not there’s not a NFL football player among them–well done boys).

Flying the flag for the best of times is 16 year old sailor Jessica Watson who is aiming to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe, solo, non-stop and unassisted.

Now I’m going to own up here that I was a bit concerned about Jessica’s ability to do this, especially when she ran up the arse end of a whooping big tanker in Moreton Bay. Hey but haven’t we all done something silly in our eagerness to proved ourselves?

My daughter was involved in a minor accident just four months after getting her driver’s licence. Her fault, an expensive outcome for her and a great big life lesson learned that no amount of lecturing from her father and I could have taught her. So Jessica was allowed her mistake as she obviously learned from it, heck she hasn’t hit anything and she’s just rounded Cape Horn.

I was also quite concerned that Jessica’s parents would allow her to do this at 16. Surely she was too young to be let loose on her own. But isn’t this what we’re complaining about in this generation of kids? That they want rights and no responsibility, that we’ve helicopter parented them to such an extent that the only thrills they have is in the way of driving cars way too fast or excessive alcohol and drug use. Jessica’s taken a risk, sure, but at least it’s just that good old adventure swash-buckling risk of Robert Louis Stevenson novels.

Now let’s take a look at another scenario, this time starring tennis prodigy Bernard Tomic. Bernard is currently taking up headline space for his dummy spit after he lost his Australian Open tennis round using the excuse that 2am was far too late for him and he should have been tucked up safely in bed by 9 or 10 o’clock.

Diddums. Did the big boys make you stay up too late? My heart bleeds for poor old Bernard (and let’s be frank he’s carrying on more like and old-aged pensioner than a 17 year old). If you want to play with the big boys, then you need to play by the big boys rules. Man up Bernie, otherwise go back to the junior ranks. Oh that’s right, you don’t get to pocket the big bucks in the junior ranks.

The sad thing about Bernard’s little temper tantrum is that it overshadowed what was an outstanding tennis performance. But no one’s going to be talking about that. No Bernard has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Apparently Papa Tomic’s little acting performance of “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” accompanied by his head resting on folded hands DURING THE MATCH was what tipped Bernard over the edge, bringing on a sudden fit of sleepiness. Papa Tomic is also Bernard’s coach. Chop-chop-chop. Is that the sound of a helicopter I hear?

In her blog  Jessica Watson talks about things she misses most. One of them is a long, uninterrupted sleep with no alarms and nothing to wake her. Her life actually depends upon being awake.

Gosh Bernard, I hope you never take up sailing.

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