Why do kids no longer respect/fear elders?

Question

It seems if someone is told not to do something they're not supposed to do or given a warning, instead of "I'm sorry sir, please don't tell my mom", either's it's "f*ck off" or they just ignore them and continue doing what they're doing.

Answer 1

It is all in how they were brought up...Some parents don't raise their kids to respect others and so they end up with kids who are real pains in the butt.

Answer 2

Kids tend to rebel against parents because they want to do whatever they want, and they don't like rules that are set in place to protect them. Kids tend to hang out with the wrong crowd and the crowd leads them astray. The kids are blinded by sin when they do this. Kids today dress way to promiscious, and they have absolutely no respect at all for their elders, except for maybe a few good kids. Kids tend to believe that they know more than what the parent does, and that is why they get into so much trouble, also because they refuse to listen to reason.

Answer 3

Common science would say, that it is because that is what their elders taught them to do. A US Navy admiral was asked this same question and I think he said it best. " Absolutely nothing, " and went on to say he could not understand how they could be given so little credit for doing so much more than past generations have. It seems to me that once they were given respect and shown what it was, they were then on able to practice respect like pros.
So if you have no clue what respect is dont try to teach it to your kids. And please dont use kids as a cop-out for your mistakes. Hence showing your kids disrespect.

Answer 4

(From an article at the site listed below)

Respect is not something that is due to any individual per se. It has been obvious to every new generation that the older generation does not consist of perfect people worthy of praise and admiration. Respect for a person must be earned, and many individuals do earn it by hard work, exemplary life, etc., but earned respect is unfortunately rare and not the sole reason for respect.

Rather, respect is always to given to a "position." Regardless of our political views of the current president, and elected officials, we have the freedom to be as candid of our opinion of them as we desire, but we must and for the most part still do respect the OFFICE that they hold. Respect is due to us as parents, not because we are upermoms and dads, but merely because of our position as mom and dad. Our children must be taught to respect elders not because of who they are, but because of what they are.

Today, teachers in many schools in cities and suburbs are often in fear of their safety from their own students. Police departments realize that no one respects the badge. What can we do about as parents? Just two ideas:

Reinstill the concept of titles. Close friends that we accept as "family" should be address as "Uncle Joe" or "Aunt Mary" even when no true relation exists. If an acquaintance addresses him/herself in the first person to your children, quietly instruct your kids to still say "Mr. Smith."


This one is for us dads. Most kids will more easily be disrespectful to mom than dad. I don't know if that is because mom is usually around more and so familiarity breeds contempt, or if we dads are more willing to strike out when our pride is attacked. But as dad, when my kids "mouth off" to my wife, I am swift to remind them that they attacking the woman I love and thereby attacking me. If I hear rudeness toward their mom they know that my judgement is swift and sure. It will not be tolerated. In doing so, we must be utmost careful not to verbalize our agreement when the kids are rude and take their side. First address the rudeness issue and then address the problem that they have with mom. For single dads living apart from mom, its the same thing, don't let them attack mom for sake of learning respect, don't show your disrespect openly to them.

Well, I know that this only superficially addresses this important problem in our culture, maybe other parents will also have ideas on how they address respect and rudeness.

Answer 5

They have no values. Do not sit down for a family meal, do not play outside in the sunshine, eat a diet of preservatives and additives that rot their brains. Oh and it could be ritalin etc... and all the other excuses parents want to make for their broken family, lonely, sugared up, tv addicted kids.

Answer 6

The answer lies in the ile at 2 Timothy 3 : 1-4 wich says

"But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.

Answer 7

Its quiet natural. I remember Baz Lurhman's Song "Everybody needs Sunscreen"

Except for few inevitable truths,
Prices will rise, Politicians will philander, you too will grow old,
and When you grow old you will Fantasize,
When you were young Prices were reasonable, Politicians were Noble and young used to respect their elders.
You should respect your elders.

Answer 8

elders...doesn't mean they're always right. When the country has something call child abuse..wht is there to fear?

Answer 9

Because their elders are no longer allowed to kick their disrespectful little asses and get away with it.

Answer 10

Probably because the elders are not good role models nowadays...