What happened to America's youth, who is to blame for their misguided souls?

Question

When did we lose control? Was it when we were told not to spank our children, or when and how to discipline, the media, or the Internet? Which political party can fix things, or is it too late?

Answer 1

I think that you as a parent can only do so much, your kids are going to do what they want to do. You can tell them until you are blue in the face, but they will make their own decisions. You can't blame video games, guns, the media, the internet, because this things are inanimate objects that are abused by these children, or used as a sugarcoat on why your kids are messed up. We as a people in general have messed up our childrens future, because we created those video games, made the internet, told others how to raise their children, and left our children to raise themselves. Now not all children are bad, but in most cases one sour apple does ruin the whole bunch, which applies here very much. The cycle continues with these bad apples, they multiply and make their decision whether to carry on the sour legacy or make their own. We write our own story.

Answer 2

If a child is misguided look to the parents. I was spanked on a regular basis as a kid and yeah, I deserved it. But, my husband was hit, not spanked, quite a bit when he was a kid so we did not even spank our two boys - he was very opposed to that all on his own, without caring about what the current trends are. I found out there were quite a few ways to get the same results without using spanking. I am a strong disciplinarian but I gave as much love as I did life instruction. It's sort of hard to blame the media, or TV, or the Internet, when you see parents who let their children run the show and run their lives. I'm from the old school. You do as I tell you to do because I am the parent and you are the child. I'll give you explanations of why I am demanding that you behave a certain way, no problem. But when you defy me there will be disciplinary action. That is the way our household went. I'm proud to say we raised two boys, one 21 and on the Dean's List in college, and another, 16, who is a good student and a terrific kid in general. Children not only require rules and discipline, they react badly when it isn't present. Blame the current trend of parents who let their kids smart mouth them and other adults or parents who don't make the time to know exactly where their kids are and what they are doing. There is no excuse for bad parenting, some people just shouldn't ever have children.

Answer 3

Yes, the question of misguided youth has been a concern forever, but it is a real problem especially today. Taking God out of kids lives, taking CHILDHOOD away from children, thanks in big part to all this political correctness gone crazy. Valuing possessions over children. Putting your 6 week old infant in the hands of a daycare worker to raise. I understand that there are some who have no choice to work, but I also understand that there are many who work because they HAVE to have the bigger house, and bigger car. (These are the same ones who will give this answer a thumbs down, because it hits a little too close to home). Starting in the late1960's you were considered an incomplete women if you did NOT work outside the home. Women were told that they were a bore and did NOT contribute to society if they were ONLY a stay at home mom, according to the "women's" movement. Now, we are really seing the effects this has had on our kids. The parents of today are "products" of their parents from the 60's-70's generation. Now we are seeing a lot of very angry kids, with absent parents who are working their rear ends off trying to buy their kids EVERYTHING, but forgetting what kids REALLY need, your time, love, consistency, a home, guidance. Ritalin is the drug of the day for lots of kids. Who's watching the kids?

Answer 4

What political party can fix misguided youth? Uncle Sam is your mother, father, family and teacher? Please.

When the Boomer generation decided to reinvent the world according to their pampered, spoiled, selfish lives, and never grow up, we began to see a dramatic change in family values and divorce rates. How can you spank and discipline children if you have divorcee guilt?

The Boomer generation is also noted for its lack of accountability. Responsibility belongs elsewhere. Blame the media. Blame the internet. If we buckled down and raised our own well adjusted children, perhaps by using old-fashion mores, the world shaped by the next generation shouldn't frighten us.

Answer 5

Please. You can go back to the writings of the ancient Greeks and find people complaining about aimless youth.

Blaming liberals, the NEA, atheists, Dr. Spock, video games and the Internet is intellectual laziness. In fact, I would respectfully submit that your question has more than a few suspect premises - are all American kids in the same boat? Are the young people in our military "misguided souls" who are out of control? And if "we" lost "control" aren't WE the ones to blame?

American youth are very much like youth anywhere at any time - they are impulsive, curious, pubescent and not particularly keen on the advice of adults.

If American youth are different from other youth around the world, it is largely because of the consumer society in which they live. Here in America, everything is for sale. We are bombarded with advertisements from the moment we wake up until we go to bed. While there is a lot to be said about consumer freedom, rampant materialism has a dehumanizing effect on people because it means that individuals begin to define themselves by what they own rather than who they are.

Expecting one political party or another to "fix things" is just plain asinine. If you want to see a change in how things are, then you need to work for change. Youth need to be taught how to transcend their immediate surroundings; they need to learn there is more to life than getting their dream job or having a fast car. They need to learn (actually we all need to learn) how the decisions we make in our everyday lives more often than not have an effect on someone else in the world. They also need to learn - again, as we all do - that you are responsible for the predictable consequences of your actions. They need to learn that they as individuals, and we as a country, must hold ourselves to the same moral standards as we hold others.

Answer 6

Well, Most of the youth, Have went down the drain. And there is nothing that anyone can possibly do. If parents would have done their part in raising their child in the church, maybe it wouldn’t be SO bad. ( Not saying all parents raised their children wrong, Some of them did their part. Good for them!! Go good parents) But there are always going to be the children, whose parent's didn't care, and kids who's parent's left them to raise themselves. And that's where the problem starts. The TV is a huge impact on the children. As well as violet video games. But it's the parents that let their children watch these TV shows, watch these violet movies and play these violet games, that mess up. Children at a young age, don't know anything about what they are watching. It's the parents for them to decide which movies/games and TV shows are a bit too much for their children. Its the parents that let their children watch R movies at 9 and 10 that corrupt themselves at such a young age. There are NO politics that can change a thing. These things need to be done in the home. The government does not decide what your kids can and cannot do in your home, that is your job as a parent. It's these kids that are 9 and 10 and having sex, and making kids and ABORTING THEM. It's ridiculous, The child didn't ask to come into this world, so why kill it, There are many people that cant have kids that would love to have it. But With all respect let me tell you about myself. I am a 16 year old college student. I graduated high school, much earlier than many other students. I am pursuing my dream with a ba then a ma in criminal justice. I am going to go into juvenile justice, and try to help these children. Keep in mind I will be 19, with my degree, and I would like to show these troubled children that I know the stuff they have to go through, but its not right to fight back. You don’t have to use knives, guns and other things to get attention. Use LOVE it hurts more than anything else. Although I will pray for myself, to have strong patience, and understanding during my job and to have courage to respect the thing I cannot change. But to forgive and love these children. I understand that it will take allot of things to change the world, but if we could all pitch in and help, we could make a huge difference, But If others are not willing, I will take my stand and do MY part. =) God Bless. Happy Holidays All
- Demmeh

Answer 7

What happened?

The lack of a mandatory two year term in the military upon turning 18 or graduating from high school, which ever came first.

Who is to blame?

Parents, who have given more and more of the responsibility for parenting to the government. That's who.

Now we have the V-Chip, mandatory internet filtering, 21 yr old drinking age limit, etc, etc, et freaking cetera.

Answer 8

Wow a brave soul that even dared to ask this question. The media will not admit it is our own fault for losing control of our children. Parents don't have time to discipline their own children because they are too busy chasing their own dreams. Teachers are not allowed to discipline the children for fear of losing their job (rightly so). Internet teaches them how to grow up faster than their own biological bodies can handle.
Society is not willing to admit they were wrong in saying "no spanking under any circumstance". It didn't work. Yes it's too late for our children. Liberals have control and our children are lost. Not a good time to be a teacher. Teachers are not allowed to protect themselves against violent children.

Answer 9

1. political parties did not tell parents not to spank their children. Psychologists did.

2. The #1 influence in a child's life is his or her parents.

3. Society today is much more concerned with consumerism and making money than raising children.

4. Public schools are a direct reflection of the communities they serve. If you don't like the school, then change the economics and attitudes of those who send their children to that school.

Answer 10

There are just too many people to blame. There are just some parents who don't care what their children do, never discipline, and allow the child to do what they want. Or the lack of parental guidence, where they are never there and rely on tv or the internet to babysit, and then blame everyone for how their child turned out. Basically, a lack of personal responsibility. Then there is a lack of discipline with some children because parents are afraid of spanking their child because its now illegal (or they are afraid it will give their children mental issues). Then there is the Media telling parents when and how to discipline.

I honestly believe it is too late to fix.