Beware: Old bloke about to write a column about young people! writes Clinton Rogers.
If there's one phrase guaranteed to make my hackles rise, it's this: "Young people of today", said in that cynical, disparaging way disgruntled old folk are fond of using.
I prefer to say (positively): "Have you seen what our young people are up to?"
And you really don't have to look far to see evidence of what the youth of today can achieve, given the chance.
In my role as a deputy lieutenant in Somerset, I recently cut the ribbon to officially open a shop in Bridgwater called Bold and Brave (there's also one in Taunton).
It's run by a fabulous charity called Young Somerset, and it's aimed at giving young people, sometimes from difficult backgrounds, invaluable experience in retail, hospitality and entrepreneurship.
It was really inspirational to see what the shop had to offer, from intricate handmade earrings to artwork that wouldn't have looked out of place in upmarket galleries - all the work of young people.
The portrait of Ozzy Osbourne in the shop window was a near-perfect study, apparently created in just two days.
Clearly, a talented artist who just needed an outlet for his work.
I am also a patron of Passion for Somerset, who every year run the Pride of Somerset Youth Awards, showcasing the amazing achievements of young people, in sport, in volunteering or just caring for family members, often against difficult odds.
When the citations are read out at the annual gala get-together, there is rarely a dry eye in the house.
Youth of today, aye?
It was actually quite reassuring talking to military veterans at the recent Armistice Day event in Taunton when the topic of young people came up.
There seemed to be a consensus that, if the chips were down, young people would react in the same way as their fathers and grandfathers did.
I also believe that to be the case.
Of course, there is a school of thought, a well-lubricated commentary, that today's youth are too lazy to peel a banana, too distracted to walk in a straight line and too delicate to cope with anything beyond mild inconvenience.
"They spend their lives glued to their phones," is the popular cry.
Well maybe.
I'm sure we would have done the same if the technology had existed in our teens.
I seem to recall I wasted much of my youth on air pistols and catapults.
And I suggest they were more dangerous than iPhones!