WHAT is wrong with kids today????

[Frank Castle]

so much i'd like to add to this, but I think it covered well-enough I can just agree and that's enough. It has gotten very bad - I see parents barely even supervise their kids' activities and behavior.

I remember working in a store and the DM promised these parents some turtles for their kids that were part of a display and gave them a date to come pick them up, at which time they would be ready to go. Sure enough the parents showed up early with their horribly misbehaved children and asked to pick up the turtles earlier which was a no-go, so I proceeded to apologize and said "it's just another day or so, it's ok, no need to get bent out of shape" and she replied by saying "Do you have kids? I promised them a turtle and you do NOT want your children angry at you".

I said the only thing I could possibly think of as a rational reasonable answer: "Last time I checked, it was the parents who made the rules and the children who follow directions when they are told."

I don't understand why parents "reward" their kids for bad behavior. They are just teaching their kids to manipulate people.

 

[Rbishop]

It's the trophies they hand out for participating (i.e.: not winning) that nurtures "I get what I want" attitude.

 

[FreshyFresh]

It's not even just kids. I've got about a dozen adult men at work ranging in age from ~24-34. They absolutely cannot go more than a few minutes without staring at their smart phones. It's a real joy when you're trying to train them or in mid-conversation with them.

 

[Tifftastic]

After I got too old for 4-H (I was raised with horses and in 4-H for the better part of my childhood) I started volunteering. I volunteered to organize the show days at the county fair for 7 years (from age 19 to 26) with a handful of parents and other ex-members. I saw a lot of things change in those years. It used to be harder when I was kid, parents were not allowed to touch the horses unless their was a safety situation. This included saddling and bridling horses, if you were short like me (I'm only 5 foot on a good day) you needed to get an older kid to help you saddle your horse. This was part of the learning, learning to help each other. As the years went on parents voted to change the rules more and more.
I'll tell you something I witnessed, those participation trophies and making it easier for kids to "win" are not for the kids. They're for the parents. The kids understand so much better when they don't win, they would reasonably ask the judges and not get upset. They wanted to learn, they wanted to be better, the parents wanted the ribbons. The parents would break the rules of coaching their kids so that the kid could win. In majority of those situations I would hear kids say "Mom! You aren't allowed to do that." But the parents would continue. The kids don't care half as much as the parents think they do. Let me tell you 4-H moms are worse than little league moms. I'd get screamed at for 3 days straight for enforcing rules. Reminder, for a couple of those years they were screaming at a teenager.
The trophies don't give the kids the sense of entitlement, the parents that demand them give the kids the sense of entitlement.

 

[Rbishop]

If only it worked that way in all endeavors.

 

[Sean Gurley]

I think it is a responsibility of parents to keep an eye on their children every movement.

 

[Kannan Fodder]

A couple years ago I was joking with a friend about "The Zombie Apocalypse" and how so many people talk about it like it could actually happen. She somberly said, "I has already happened. Just look at how obsessed people are with their cell phones, walking around like zombies, staring at their phones and ignoring everything else."

I was on my way to work yesterday morning, traveling down my usual route. The street I take has a posted 45mph speed limit - which means that most people drive 55-60mph, and for the most part is a 4 lane road thru a business/residential area. Side streets joining this road have STOP signs, for obvious reasons. So as I approached the street next to a school, I saw a car flying up that street, driven by a woman in her mid 20s or 30s. She ignored the STOP sign, the young woman in the crosswalk, oncoming traffic, and flew out right in front of me - because she was too busy playing with her cell phone and could't be bothered to pay attention to anything else.

I have to add that the girl in the crosswalk was wearing a neon yellow and orange reflective safety vest, and was halfway into the lane the driver was in.

 

[Tifftastic]

Jesus! That's insane. I don't understand how people can be so oblivious.