The Snowflake Generation… what are they like?

It is our fault that the younger generation have grown up to be ‘censorious cry-babies’,1 at least according to Claire Fox from the Institute of Ideas.

I recall my very first week in general dental practice, and a patient's mother complaining to the practice receptionist about me giving her child oral hygiene instruction, suggesting that her child's toothbrushing was … how can I put this nicely … less than perfect? And that has been my life for the 35 years that followed. Weekly discussions still continue, with patients and parents about how, if Cynthia or Cedric are unwilling or unable to keep their teeth spotlessly clean, I will be unable to commit taxpayer's money to the straightening of their teeth. It just isn't ‘rocket science’. If we as providers of orthodontic treatment cannot guarantee that the benefits of treatment will vastly outweigh the potential harm, then we are obliged to withhold treatment. It is our responsibility and duty as professionals to point out the problems, both to the parents and to the children themselves. If we cannot criticize them, and make them aware of their failings, then how on earth can we do our job properly?