I'm was inspired by the story of your soldier friend who served in Kosovo. And that's how everyone should be: Resilient enough to handle the ups and downs of life. Because ups and downs are guaranteed, the only difference is that they come differently to every person.
The more resilient a person becomes the more they realize some of the experiences they tagged as traumatic, are infact, flea bites. They enter a new level of 'traumatic'.
David Higgins, former US Navy SEAL, tells a story of how he adapted to the hard situations he faced, overcame his fears and became "the toughest man alive". He asserts that anyone can deal with trauma, it's just a matter of mental and psychological conditioning.
Parents need to teach their kids that life comes with lots of discomfort and inconveniences and prepare them how to handle it if it comes. So when it comes they won't be caught surprised and off guard.
There is a balance in there somewhere, but I think we are erring on the side of too soft, too little responsibility, not quite enough real pain for kids today. Many have never even grazed a knee falling in the park, because they are sitting on a screen inside.
For sure. And you needn't be a SEAL to have the training.