One of the most interesting articles I read last week was "Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy." A simple formula was used to define what makes some one happy: Happiness = Reality - Expectations. Rather than comparing the economic situation of each era, the focus was more on how each generation has been differently raised, which affected their attitude in their career path and feeling of achievement. To put it simply, grandparents of Depression Era raised the Baby Boomers to build practical, secure careers. So, the Boomers learned that years of hard work would bring them success in their career and prosperity. Entering a time of unprecedented economic prosperity on the '70s, '80s and '90s, they did even better than they expected, which made them happy. Then the Baby Boomers raised their Gen Y kids with a sense of optimism and ambition: they were made to feel special and arguably 'entitled'. So, whereas the Baby Boomers wanted to live the American Dream, Y Gens wanted to create Their Own Personal Dream. Therefore, the Y Gen's career path tends to focus on fulfillment rather than security. Entering the job market, their pre-workforce expectations were much higher than reality and the unfortunate condition of the job market did not, or at least is not, as good as it was supposed to be. Furthermore, their status is constantly compared through social media where most people present an inflated version of their own existence. I thought it was an interesting analysis that sheds some light on further understanding the situation our children face today. Most importantly, as a parent, whatever success we had means little when our children are having a hard time. At times like these, we should be more patient than ever and stay by their side, realizing that the Boomers were partially responsible in parenting.