Her eyes did not move from the ticket, voice remaining at an annoyed monotone. Clearly, she wished to be finished as soon as possible, and without so much as a “thank you” or “that will be right out,” she left, leaving behind a dismayed couple and sad realization.

The Sunday morning following Prom, my friend and I decided to eat at Waffle House. Although a small joint, the delicious pancakes and bottomless coffee make it quite popular. When we sat down, at the dirty table, we were both quite excited. However, the excitement quickly faded when our young waitress greeted us. Well, it was not even a greeting. Un-enthusiastically, she asked us what we wanted to drink. At first, I assumed she had simply experienced a rough morning. Yet, halfway through our visit, the waitress happily served two old couples sitting behind us. As soon as she came back to us, her attitude completely changed to one of dismay. Although I first took offense to the attitude, I began to think why she would possibly treat us so rudely.

Teenagers have a bad reputation. Society sees teens as a bunch of rude, rambunctious, entitled crazies who only care about themselves. With other millennials turning against each other, such as with the “anti-millennial” rant, it seems trust cannot be had between anyone. No doubt, the millennial generation is different; however, every generation changes. We are not the first generation to listen to explicit music or dye hair odd colors. Exploration of interests is part of maturing.

Along with physical appearance choices, political and intellectual choices are often questioned. We are told we should care more and be more active in politics, yet when we share our voice and join the argument, we are told our opinions are wrong. While some young students do not educate themselves enough with past historical events and present situations, one cannot simply dismiss all opinions different than theirs with a “they’re young and stupid.”

Many students, including myself, work many nights along with advanced classes in school and extracurricular activities. Bills have to be payed, including preparation for college (Hook Em’ Horns!). When I ate at Waffle House, I did not have much money to spare; yet, I tipped the waitress what money I had for her service.

Change can be scary, especially when it does not reflect past change. While not everything young people have done is good, they are not all bad either. If others were to actually try to understand the millennial generation before dismissing and calling names, good change might actually occur. As the world gains more troubling situations and fearful events, the only thing stopping the solution is a lack of connection between generations.