Arnold Schwarzenegger is sharing some wisdom for Gen-Z! In a recent interview, the 76-year-old action star expressed his concern about the state of our society. And what’s got him all fired up? Well, he believes we’re creating a “generation of wimps” who are more concerned about hurting feelings than facing challenges head-on.
Now, before you start picturing a room full of bodybuilders crying over spilled protein shakes, let’s dive deeper into Arnold’s point. In a Wednesday interview for SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, the actor warned that adults should be teaching children mental resiliency so as to not raise a generation of weak people. He said,
“It’s nice to be considerate, I totally agree with that,” Schwarzenegger defended. “But let’s not over-baby the kids, and let’s not over-baby the people.” He continued, “Anybody that tries to baby themselves, and pamper themselves and protect themselves — “Oh, I don’t want to feel bad, I don’t really want to go through any discomfort” — It’s over! You’re never going to get there. It’s just the way it is. You have to be able to struggle.”
The advice comes days after the star admitted he was a very strict parent to his children and even burned his daughter’s shoes when she misbehaved.
During the show, he went on to say, “You have to be able to accept pain, misery, and discomfort, all the things that you don’t like. Because the more you experience the things you really don’t like, the more you can go and the tougher you get and the more you can handle. It’s that simple! “So many young kids these days shy away from that, but you have to be attracted to that… Don’t start creating a generation of wimps and weak people… Let’s not over-baby people. Let’s go and teach kids to be tough, to do sports, to study and struggle, and go through these kind of painful moments sometimes.”
Well, the entertainer would know a thing or two about parenting. As many are aware, the 76-year-old Austrian actor is a father to Katherine, 33, and Christina, 31, Patrick, 30, and Christopher, 26 with ex-wife Maria Shriver as well as 26-year-old Joseph with Mildred Baena.
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During the interview, the former California governor talked about the possibility of running for President. He admitted, “I felt like everything I’ve accomplished in my life—[the] bodybuilding career, the movie career, becoming Governor, setting up my Schwarzenegger Institute, all this stuff, the millions of dollars I made and everything—it’s all because of America,” he said. “So, why would I complain about the one thing I can’t do?”
“I think that I would’ve made a great president. I think that I have the energy and the will to bring people together,” he said.