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16-03-2005, 11:12

Having read through this thread I was compelled to comment, due to some of the ridiculous ideas put about.

Kids today aren't that different from kids 40 years ago, but the world around them has changed beyond recognition - so at least some of the differences must be due to the world around them.

After their earliest years, this world is no longer just their parent's responsibility, yet some would still blame the parents for everything.

I don't believe many parents set out to be uncaring or bad, but at the same time, for all the education that some think will solve every problem, I don't recall there being much education on parenting in schools/colleges/universities. So parenting is the ultimate DIY experience, with the highest stakes. No TV reality show to come and fix your mess here - in fact, very little help to fix up the mess. Just criticism.

And to make it worse, much of this criticism is from people who are not parents! What gives you the right to condemn?

Life today places a much higher burden on parents than what my parents experienced. The expectation of children today is that they should all have a mobile phone, computer, PS2, MP3 player, digital camera etc. This materialism is not of the parents' making - that's what society is doing to the kids.
So parents try to give their kids what they can. And to do this they have to work hard - often both parents. This doesn't mean that kids miss out - I suspect there's fewer latch-key kids today then there were 40 years ago - it's just different.

And once the kids get to the age where a parent might actually dare let them out on their own, what do they find? Few cities/towns offer any space they can use, or what space there is is then generally used to allow dogs to defacate.

What do they do with their time? Well, obviously same sort of things their friends do. And it starts by watching TV and now that's running 24/7 what reason to do anything else? The program makers go out of their way to captivate their audience - mostly so they can throw more materialistic adverts at them - but rarely to offer them some inspiration.

In my youth kids indulged in hobbies, these days a lot of that is not 'cool' or 'geeky'. The most compulsive activity they seem to have today is to play computer games. And they takes these so seriously - when they start claiming how skillful they are because they've scored a goal in FIFA(whatever) on a PS2, you have to wonder what their value system has become, or where that came from.

So don't just turn on the parents as an easy target. Society at large has a responsibility to bear.

I would also like to add, that next time you see that child behaving atrociously in Tesco's, that rather than tut-tut and condemn the parent, spare a thought - some of us have children with special needs and that's juts the way they are. We do the best we can (again, usually with very little help) and much as it might annoy you, it's pushing us close to breakdown.

So a little understanding for what we have to face, and a little less readiness to give our kids 'what they deserve' wouldn't go amiss.

16-03-2005, 11:12	#108
ScaredWebWarrior Guest Location: Midlands Services: NTL Phone/Cable Posts: n/a	Re: The Youth of Today... Having read through this thread I was compelled to comment, due to some of the ridiculous ideas put about. Kids today aren't that different from kids 40 years ago, but the world around them has changed beyond recognition - so at least some of the differences must be due to the world around them. After their earliest years, this world is no longer just their parent's responsibility, yet some would still blame the parents for everything. I don't believe many parents set out to be uncaring or bad, but at the same time, for all the education that some think will solve every problem, I don't recall there being much education on parenting in schools/colleges/universities. So parenting is the ultimate DIY experience, with the highest stakes. No TV reality show to come and fix your mess here - in fact, very little help to fix up the mess. Just criticism. And to make it worse, much of this criticism is from people who are not parents! What gives you the right to condemn? Life today places a much higher burden on parents than what my parents experienced. The expectation of children today is that they should all have a mobile phone, computer, PS2, MP3 player, digital camera etc. This materialism is not of the parents' making - that's what society is doing to the kids. So parents try to give their kids what they can. And to do this they have to work hard - often both parents. This doesn't mean that kids miss out - I suspect there's fewer latch-key kids today then there were 40 years ago - it's just different. And once the kids get to the age where a parent might actually dare let them out on their own, what do they find? Few cities/towns offer any space they can use, or what space there is is then generally used to allow dogs to defacate. What do they do with their time? Well, obviously same sort of things their friends do. And it starts by watching TV and now that's running 24/7 what reason to do anything else? The program makers go out of their way to captivate their audience - mostly so they can throw more materialistic adverts at them - but rarely to offer them some inspiration. In my youth kids indulged in hobbies, these days a lot of that is not 'cool' or 'geeky'. The most compulsive activity they seem to have today is to play computer games. And they takes these so seriously - when they start claiming how skillful they are because they've scored a goal in FIFA(whatever) on a PS2, you have to wonder what their value system has become, or where that came from. So don't just turn on the parents as an easy target. Society at large has a responsibility to bear. I would also like to add, that next time you see that child behaving atrociously in Tesco's, that rather than tut-tut and condemn the parent, spare a thought - some of us have children with special needs and that's juts the way they are. We do the best we can (again, usually with very little help) and much as it might annoy you, it's pushing us close to breakdown. So a little understanding for what we have to face, and a little less readiness to give our kids 'what they deserve' wouldn't go amiss.