Quote:
Originally Posted by DETRoadster
As many have stated already, it starts with the parenting. I'm not saying parents of the last 10 years are bad, they are just different from generations past and it cultivated a different crop of young adults. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but in general the broad differences I see in parenting now vs. when I was a kid in the late 70s / early 80s:
Discipline Differences: The spanking thing was brought up already. Also, it's no longer socially acceptable for a stranger (or even a teacher) to call your kid out for being a sh*t. I can recall acting out once in the school parking lot and a random kid's mother pulled me aside and sternly lectured me. My mom walked up, assessed the situation, thanked the lady sincerely and immediately took away my TV viewing rights for a week. These days a parent would lose their sh*t on someone who dared to discipline their little angel. There was a general sense, when I was a kid, that all adults were watching and could all hand out discipline at any time. Kept us more or less in line.
Helicopter Parents: This one kills me. Parents who are so hyper involved that they essentially project manage every moment of the kid's life. Kids are no longer left alone to "figure it out" or self entertain. The parents are there 24-7 to structure, educate, and protect. I have co-workers with highschool kids who drive them to school every morning so they dont have to take the bus. They have to leave work early to take their 17 year old to the dentist. They "work from home" because their 14 year old is home sick from school. They cater to every need and whim. It grows adults who expect things to be handed to them. "I did my job, therefore I deserve a promotion." "Reward me, acknowledge me, grade me, rate me...." The constant attention from the parental units breeds adults who require constant attention, accolades, and praise.
Electronics: Kids with iPads and other electronic devices in front of their faces 24-7. My parents were worried about our brains going to mush from too much TV and to some degree they were right. But TV watching is mostly a passive activity. All the video games and kid oriented "learning" devices are hyper-stimulating the reward centers of those little brains. Kids grow up needing that little dopamine kick. They grow up learning "push right button, get instant reward" which translates into "Do my job, get raise and promotion." A few of my more memorable recent reviews with under-30 employees involved expectation setting around why the employee cant expect a 20% raise year over year. There's also the "No, the reward for simply doing your job is keeping your job, and getting a paycheck. If you'd like a promotion and a raise yo need to do MORE than your current job requires." discussion that I have had multiple times.
Again, I dont know that parents today are any worse or better than mine, but they are different and it's creating different adults. Adults who in my opinion are hyper-needy and have issues with self sufficiency, self-awareness, and self-esteem. The number of my friends kids in counseling is breathtaking. It's at least 50% at any given time. Sad.
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Except it's not creating adults. It's creating legal age kids that are able to drink, smoke, drive, join the military & reproduce. Scary.
Most kids today don't know real struggle, they simply think they do.