Ever wonder if the endless birthday parties and video/photo montages are setting the wrong expectations for your kids in the workplace they'll soon enter?  The Wall Street Journal did last week, pondering if the trend of celebrating the young ones in every way possible could end up costing us in the long run:

Katie Lynch is the Scooter Store's celebrations assistant. It is her job to throw confetti--about 25  pounds a week--and hand out celebratory helium balloons. She also gives a lot of high fives. Universal Studios in Florida has its "Applause Notes" program to praise employees for jobs well done. Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo requires its managers to write at least 48 praise notes or thank you notes to the troops every year. Employers are dishing out all these kudos to keep the latest generation of workers happy.

Employees entering the workforce these days are used to being praised and used to being told they are extra special--by their parents, by their teachers, by their coaches, etc. They are not just beautiful, they are gorgeous. They are not just smart, they are geniuses. They are not comfortable if they are not complimented on a regular basis. Employers hoping to retain these new generation employees are going to have to do some heavy stroking.

What can I say?  As a kid, I used to be satisfied by throwing a tennis ball against a shed about 100 times a day and using my imagination to pretend I was up against the Yankees the the seventh game of the World Series - no organized ball until I was at least 10 or 11.  My son?  6 years old and is in an organized league with uniforms mimicking that of the pros, and we give out a couple of game balls after each game to celebrate success.  Don't even get me started about what society spends on Birthday parties (disclosure - I am part of the problem as well).

When my 6 year old grows up, it's going to take some bells and whistles to retain him - especially with the pending labor shortage that will hit just around the time of his arrival into the workplace.  Hope he is good enough to deserve it...