Where have we gone wrong with the kids of today?

Question

Surley we have got to look at the kind of trouble the kids get into today and WHY. we were once all kids and yes we got into a little bit of trouble but the kids today have just got no respect at all for anything or anyone. we all got into scrapes and fights but we all made up. today they just stab each other and this is suppose to be cool. is this because as parents you can no longer smack our kids or is it that the teachers have to be really carefull how they correct the kids today, do you think that it is the parents fault. something has got to be done because what we are doing now just is not working. when i was young just the thought of my dad finding out made me think twice and even at 16 years of age we had to be in at 9.30pm in the summer and winter it was 8.00pm , what do you think and your views on what should be done

Answer 1

the problem stems from society becoming more liberal. we are now encoraged to treat children as pint sized adults. and children being children take advantage of this. they know as a collective they are stronger. there doesnt seem to be any boundaries anymore. we need to go back to treating children as they are. children. i think we do need to look at the parents and more importantly the media. children and indeed adults are influence by the surrounding environment and all the media do is glorify celebrities and if its not that then some kind of scandal. ppl think this is the way to live. society needs to change as a whole before any impact will be made on childrens behaviour.

Answer 2

i totally agree wth your comments, however it is wrong to make such a vast catagorization.

my 3 kids are 16, 14 and 12, they are respectful, honest , thoughtful and honest. Yes, as youngesters they did get a slap for misbehaviour or disrespect, and I believe, it was the right thing to do. I have had to bring them up single handed, and I had to, and have to, be strict. We do everything together....football on the beach (when I dont have a broken ankle!) sittng round the table for dinner, walking the dog and bowling.....the older 2 have Saturday jobs, which shows them if they want stuff out of life, they have to earn it, ad yes I am extremely proud of them and dont mind saying so (if you hadnt noticed!)

But to lump together all youngsters as the same isnt fair.

However on the other hand, I am the frst to admit that a large number of kids today need parents and indeed teachers to be far stricter with their youngsters, but unfortunately if good behaviour isnt instilled in a young age, then it is very difficult to expect good behaviour later on in their childhood.

Lets face it, if the police and teachers were still allowed to give them a clip round the ear for bad behaviour, I dont think we would have the problems with some kids that society has to put up with.

Answer 3

the trouble with kids today is the way they are being brought up. people tend to think that their kids are better than everyone else and instead of making them work and earn money to get the things they want parents are handing them everything on a silver platter and teaching them that no one in the world had the right to tell them what to do. people do the things now right in front of the kids now that 30 years ago if they did do it the kids wouldn't know about it, like stealing and cheating and drinking. we aren't teaching our kids that it's wrong to lie, cheat and steal or cuss like a sailor, we're teaching them that they can't do it until they are grown and some people are letting the kids do it while they are still kids.
a lot of the problem is the fact that so many kids are having kids themselves at a young age then they don't want the responsibility of raising them. so to change the children you first have to change the way the adults think about how to raise a child.

Answer 4

There is a breakdown in family structure today. Even something as simple as sitting down to dinner as a family in most cases is gone. A family may all watch the same tv show, but they do it in their own rooms on their own tv's. What happened to spending time together. Makes a difference as communication then occurs. Discipline is a big problem as well. My kids are the only one from their group that has a curfew, rules to follow and punishment for breaking them. In too many cases parents feel that buying kids stuff means you love them and telling them no to anything means you hate them and kids play off this and realize they are in control and do as they see fit. When another group, teachers, try to correct them parents jump all over them, then get mad when the kids do not learn because they do not pay attention. When parents start being parents, a lot of our problems will disappear.

Answer 5

Every generation looks back and says that their generation was so much more well behaved. This has been going on since the beginning of time. What I see as the problem today is the materialism that is forced on our society. If I have to work then the children do not have me so my guilty conscience coupled with commercialism says to buy them all the expensive toys out there to make them happy and then they will not be mad at me for working.
My husband and I made a choice for me to stay home and raise the kids and I realize this is not an option for everyone. We felt that the breakdown of the family unit is part of children's problems, I gave up a career I loved because I love my children more. We eat meals together, I monitor homework, we shut off the TV and do not eat in front of it, we talk to our children and encourage our children to talk to us, we have rules with consequences and I am grateful for this time with my children.
Peace be with you

Answer 6

I think it's mostly due to lazy parenting in the home. I think parents can disciplinbe and instill respect without hitting them. Its the parents who give their chilkdren free reign from an early age without setting any boundaries that is causing the problem.

Why that is happening is difficult to decide. I am not convinced it is a race issue but a class issue. I believe that poorer families (which unfortunately often includes non-whites) struggle. I think the government is actually trying quite hard with youth centres, and even these new social workders who act like big borthers etc to give children a positive role model.

Answer 7

A more secular society = A less law-abiding society.
Children used to be taught ways to behave etc at Sunday school (some still do thank goodness). What do the atheists teach their kids?/...You've got the RIGHT to do this, the right to do that, but none of the responsibilities.

Answer 8

At some point, we somehow got the misstaken impression that our job is to make our children happy. WRONG. Our job is to make our children into good people and good citizens and help them to become self-sufficient. If we're doing that job right, then they will be unhappy at times.

The problem is that we have a generation of children who did not have two parents, both of whom spent a lot of time with them; and the parents gave them the impression that other people don't matter. And we're all going to pay for it.

Answer 9

I'm not necessarily advocating a return to corporal punishment - I'd have to think it through. However, my favourite music student - now aged 15 and a bit of a wayward lass - did tell me herself that, if they still had the cane at school she wouldn't do most of the silly things she gets up to.

Answer 10

really hate qs like this,have you met every single kid living together, if not i think you should rephrase your question & stop tarring them all with the same brush. How would you like it if when an adult did something wrong & lets face it there are plenty of examples you were then perceived to be the same as them just because you are an adult