Do you think when we were children, our parents were saying what great generation of children we have ...?

Question

Never fighting, never getting in trouble, always showing respect.

Cmon people, I may be in a party of one here, but EVERY generation says the upcoming generation is the worse they have ever seen.

And yet the world still keeps turning ......

Methinks we are believing the media hype a tad.

Im not saying kids today are perfect, but like for like, Im sure they are only as bad as we were in our day .....

Things do look better through rose coloured glasses though! lol.

Answer 1

Since time begun children have been getting up to mischief/trouble it's called immaturity and all part of being a child.

Every generation has it's delinquents, I think the older we get we do tend to see our youth through rose coloured glasses.

I was a child of the 70's and saw fighting, some children having no respect for their elders so no change nearly 30+ years later.

Edit* The only difference I see in today's society is that knuckle dusters,flick knives and planks of wood have been replaced by guns and knives. Teenage/unwed pregnancies are no longer a taboo so has stamped out all the back street abortions that took place years ago and babies being taken without consent from their unwed or teenage mothers.

Answer 2

I would say it is worse these days. The world is a very different place to what it was even 10 years ago, let alone 30 or a hundred years ago.

Yes, there have always been problems, but they certainly aren't the same.

There is something happening in the world and I think there is an increased level of psychological unease and imbalance. Particularly in the more 'wealthy' countries. Consumerism and selfish attitudes are fueling this, not just amongst children but adults too.

Big topic, no time to write.

Answer 3

While I have some sympathy with this view, I wonder though, if there could be a grain of truth in the fact that today, there have never been so many kids in trouble with the law.
The pregnancy rates in teeenagers are higher than ever.
Violence is worse and more, much more.
Yes, we were bad at times, but at the same time, our society supported the disicpline of children. And I can only ever remember one parent who went to the school and complained about their child's punishment. Most parents supported the schools. Teachers say that the behaviour is worse.
When I was at school, there were no knives or guns. Drugs were something only "bad" children did. I knew of 4 teenage pregnancies. And this was in the 70's.
The numbers are rising. And we should be watching them with some alarm.

Answer 4

It's true that the older generation has always thought the younger generation has gone to the dogs! Over the last 20 years or so everything has got got much worse. Murders commited by young people and children are relatively common now and bad behaviour has intensified.
I never heard kids of 5 or 6 effing and blinding until relatively recently.

The reason is probably because modern children have been given no boundaries. We can only be thankful that, somehow or other, there are still decent children around!

Answer 5

Yes, absolutely! We carry our ancestor's DNA or genetic coding! Along with that come fears, diseases, intelligence, etc... I also believe we learn the behavior as well and actually polish it so well it shimmers. It is up to us at this point to release ourselves of this inherited fear. Fear keeps us from living in the present. Saturday, I was babysitting 3 children. Ages 4, 3 and 1. The baby would flinch when the oldest child startled her and when the 3 year old cried. She even flinched when the dogs would bark. This took me back to my own childhood because I was the youngest with 2 older brothers. Fear may become greater in the order of the siblings or it just maybe expressed in a different way for each child. This possibly adds another dynamic to this question. I do believe fear was so prevalent in my life that it led me to my initial awakening. The fear caused so much suffering that I reached a point of no return. I have to say that projected fear, inherited fear and stressful fear can catapult one into awareness really quickly as well as trauma. Peace my lovely friend. Mudslinger.. (((Kasey)))

Answer 6

I am 56. I remember lots of violence among kids when I was at school but very little involved weapons, children murdering each other was virtually unheard of and drugs (except cigarettes) were something school kids had no access to at all.

All of the above is very different these days.

If we were being a nuisance and an adult came out and told us to move away from their house, we did it. These days the adults would probably be assaulted.

It is worse today.

Answer 7

To quote primus:

The Return of Sathington Willoughby


Fellow colleges, distinguished members of the press, ladies
And gentlemen:

I would like to take this opportunity to personally and humbly thank Each and every one of you for joining us at this particular event.

It is my hope that we can utilize this meeting of the minds to
Successfully convey the essence of our platform to you, a grand and Noble audience.

As I look out among the faces, I reflect, taking console in the words Of franklin delano roosevelt who said, we have nothing to fear but Fear itself.

Paranoia is a disease unto itself, and may I add, the person standing Next to you, may not be who they appear to be, so take precaution.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, this is true any a young person Has fallen prey, to the substances that alter the perspective of any Right thinking individual.

The problem with the youth today is, because of their inexperience With the world, they cannot attempt to grasp the ideals, set forth by Myself and those who preceded me.

But, as history has shown, they will come around, and embrace our Philosophies and become model citizens in their own right, God bless
This great nation. "

In short, the problem with the youth today is they are young.. but in time, they will become older and more experienced with the ways of the world...

Answer 8

Hehe! I agree totally. I think a certain amount of cynicism about the "younger generation" comes with age. I am (cough) 32 now, and I have neices and nephews who range from 16-21. Their generation I have no problems with, I'm still the "cool Aunt" to them, but the 12-16 year olds around now confuse me! I don't know when I turned into Victor Meldrew, but I was heartened to see Jarvis Cocker from Pulp on TV recently admitting that he doesn't understand the younger generation. I was thrilled that it wasn't just me!

I guess it's an age thing, I look at the girls wearing mini skirts at 13 and am shocked. I suppose it's time for me to buy some elasticated shoes and a kaftan from the back of the Sunday papers. I am no longer cool, or "with it"!! (Actually, by using "with it" I am immediately revealing my lack of cool, I suppose...oh well) But I don't think teenagers are any worse than they were when I was one of them, I think they just annoy me more now!

Edit: Nooka? My Mum still has a go at youngsters! She told a group of "hoodies" off once at the Cashpoint. Apparently she looked at them a bit suspiciously and one of them started the whole "Why are you looking at me? I haven't done nothing" stuff, obviously expecting her to run away scared. Well, a woman who raised seven children singlehandedly after my Dad died does not take crap from adolescents! She immediately had a go back, saying "Well, if you weren't all hanging round the cashpoint looking shifty with your faces covered, you wouldn't get suspicious looks would you?" etc. etc. Cue the group of boys shuffling off, shamefaced!

She's great!

Answer 9

When I was a youngster, glue sniffing was rife. We lived near a disused railway bridge and my Mum would never let us go underneath because there were always "glueys" there. When we did go, we would always find plastic bags which they had used. Then they started using aerosols-I gues this is nothing compared to what they do today. When we walked past school kids, if they were swearing, my Mum would say something like "get your mouth washed out with soap" or " I know who your Mum is" and they always seemed to shut up. Nowadays, you daren't say anything to them in case they have a knife in their pocket or follow you home. I dread what it will be like when my 6 year old grows up. I am sure that we worry about the same problems as our parents but the consequences seem to be worse now!

Answer 10

I think yes every generation believes that the upcoming generation is worse than they have seen. But it's relatively speaking in some ways, people move with the times.

My Dad said he was quite bad when he was younger compared to his peers, but by todays standards he was harmless lol