This generation of kids...

Fletch said:

I don't think anyone would seriously argue that. But people do argue that "hardness" is a sign of experience in the real world, and that can excuse, or even condone, callousness to others.

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The real world is filled with nice people doing compassionate things for one another alongside others who are doing nefarious and destructive acts. One isn't more real than the other.

Fletch said:

I don't think anyone would seriously argue that. But people do argue that "hardness" is a sign of experience in the real world, and that can excuse, or even condone, callousness to others.

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Unfortunately, in the real world, people that do kind acts often find that at some point they have been conned or the find that they have acted as enablers for addiction and other bad behavior.

John in Covina said:

Unfortunately, in the real world, people that do kind acts often find that at some point they have been conned or the find that they have acted as enablers for addiction and other bad behavior.

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This is what I was speaking about when I was saying I could be easily manipulated, particularly by people who seem to be down on their luck. Having now had come experience with drug addicts (extended family members) and seeing their behavior way too close, I have become quite a bit more aware of the warning signs of addiction and how that plays out.

And I do have to add, that empathic people aren't the only enablers. Some people enable addicts (or other bad behavior) because it enables their own bad behavior, or gives them an excuse, or provides entertainment, or makes them feel important. I have a certain family member who has so little empathy it is shocking, and he has enabled several other family members' bad habits and addictions for decades for his own entertainment and to feel a sense of satisfaction and importance. It is impossible to stop him from enabling these people, purely because he has no empathy for them or anyone else.

How's this for entitlement.

Last Sunday, I was driving with one of the kids, on local roads. I got a little confused as to what street my destination was on, so I pulled over to make a call.

I was on a residential main drag, one lane each way. There were no cars parked on my side as far back as I could see. I pulled up in front of the last house on the street, as it was the last parking space before the gas station on the corner. I dialed my phone.

I look in the rear view mirror, and there is a car behind me, as in right behind me. I continue with my phone call, now becoming increasingly aware that the driver, a kid, is looking at me. This was unusual because normally when someone pulls over, they're usually doing so because the need to do something, whatever it is, not sit there and so obviously look into the car in front.

So now I begin to look into the rear view and notice that he is even closer than he was before. I get out of my picked-up-my-new-yesterday new car, my phone at my ear, walk back to the other car, and ask what is going on.

He says, 'I want to park in front of my house.'

I must have had a puzzled look on my face, and I said, 'What?'

He repeated what he had said. I said I was on the phone and I'd be moving as soon as I was done.

Here is where it got Twilight Zonish.

He said, in a rather indignant tone, 'Excuse me, I want to park in front of my house,' meaning you move right now.

Me, being me, said that I would move when I was good and ready.

Now, keep in mind that there was a whole block of parking spaces just behind where I was parked. I also thought to myself, if someone was sitting in front of my house in their car when I pulled up, would I pull up right behind them and actually sit there and wait for them to pull out, or park and go in the house? And would I get indignant with the driver? Silly questions, aren't they?

So now, he tells me he's going to call the police. Huh? Are you serious? I ask him if he's going to use 911 or the precinct number. He says 911. I ask him if he thinks this is an emergency. He says yes. I tell him to call. They will laugh at him when they get here. I tell him I'll call.

As I turn to go back to my car, he says something like look how you're acting in front of your kid.

I get back in the car and finish my call. The 'kid' asked me what happened, and I filled him in on the parts he didn't hear. I ask him what he thought of the situation. He said the guy is nuts. He didn't actually use the word 'nuts,' but that was the general idea.

When I pulled out, and was waiting at the light on the other driver was walking back and forth across the street 'inspecting' the scene. I would have loved for him to have made the call to the police and then waited around for their reaction but we had an appointment and were bordering on being late.

scottyrocks said:

How's this for entitlement.

Last Sunday, I was driving with one of the kids, on local roads. I got a little confused as to what street my destination was on, so I pulled over to make a call.

I was on a residential main drag, one lane each way. There were no cars parked on my side as far back as I could see. I pulled up in front of the last house on the street, as it was the last parking space before the gas station on the corner. I dialed my phone.

I look in the rear view mirror, and there is a car behind me, as in right behind me. I continue with my phone call, now becoming increasingly aware that the driver, a kid, is looking at me. This was unusual because normally when someone pulls over, they're usually doing so because the need to do something, whatever it is, not sit there and so obviously look into the car in front.

So now I begin to look into the rear view and notice that he is even closer than he was before. I get out of my picked-up-my-new-yesterday new car, my phone at my ear, walk back to the other car, and ask what is going on.

He says, 'I want to park in front of my house.'

I must have had a puzzled look on my face, and I said, 'What?'

He repeated what he had said. I said I was on the phone and I'd be moving as soon as I was done.

Here is where it got Twilight Zonish.

He said, in a rather indignant tone, 'Excuse me, I want to park in front of my house,' meaning you move right now.

Me, being me, said that I would move when I was good and ready.

Now, keep in mind that there was a whole block of parking spaces just behind where I was parked. I also thought to myself, if someone was sitting in front of my house in their car when I pulled up, would I pull up right behind them and actually sit there and wait for them to pull out, or park and go in the house? And would I get indignant with the driver? Silly questions, aren't they?

So now, he tells me he's going to call the police. Huh? Are you serious? I ask him if he's going to use 911 or the precinct number. He says 911. I ask him if he thinks this is an emergency. He says yes. I tell him to call. They will laugh at him when they get here. I tell him I'll call.

As I turn to go back to my car, he says something like look how you're acting in front of your kid.

I get back in the car and finish my call. The 'kid' asked me what happened, and I filled him in on the parts he didn't hear. I ask him what he thought of the situation. He said the guy is nuts. He didn't actually use the word 'nuts,' but that was the general idea.

When I pulled out, and was waiting at the light on the other driver was walking back and forth across the street 'inspecting' the scene. I would have loved for him to have made the call to the police and then waited around for their reaction but we had a appointment and were bordering on being late.

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You met up with a dumbass. There are plenty. Welcome to the club of Tell the Dumbass off.

Alright, here's an issue I'd like to take up. It's a local news story.

Des Moines police: St. Paddy's Day parade needs to improve safety

Basically, the host of our annual St. Patrick's parade may have to quadruple costs in order to have better crowd control because lazy, ignorant parents won't attend to their rowdy children.

What kind of country have we become when we can't simply grab our children by the arm and say, "Sit here and watch the darned parade, you little brat, or we're not coming ever again,"?

I feel like the newer generations have moved from disciplining their children to a c'est la vie approach which, in the long run, creates even lazier rotten children.

Personally, after reading the article and the comments, I say they should just cancel the darn thing and let everyone suffer until parents can figure out how to shape up or ship out.

Undertow said:

Alright, here's an issue I'd like to take up. II feel like the newer generations have moved from disciplining their children to a c'est la vie approach which, in the long run, creates even lazier rotten children.

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For those that know Star Trek you may be aware that there is an non-interference rule called "The Prime Directive" and I have used the term "Prime Directive Parents / Parenting" for parents that simply let their kids go nuts and have a problem with disciplining their kids.

Prime Directive Parents - there was a recently shown episode of Doc Martin where the parents are of the overly educated type that don't discipline their boy who goes out keying cars.

"Prime Directive Parents"....I like that one John.

I like to be the Klingon in that Prime Directive Parents scenario.

Undertow said:

I feel like the newer generations have moved from disciplining their children to a c'est la vie approach which, in the long run, creates even lazier rotten children.

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It is hard to quantify how many people in a given generation do their job as parents but the bad ones and their offspring do stick out like a sore thumb.

Feraud said:

It is hard to quantify how many people in a given generation do their job as parents but the bad ones and their offspring do stick out like a sore thumb.

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I guess what I'm wondering is why can't a parade plow down the street without trampling children?

You're right, it may not just be one or two generations at fault - maybe it's society as a whole? And if that's the answer, can we shift blame to a particular generation for where we are now?

Blaming society, isn't that the opposite of taking responsibility?

I think as far as rampaging kids in public places are concerned, a big part of the problem is that parents are afraid to discipline their kids in public. If I ever cut up rough in a grocery store when I was little, my mother would grab my arm, spin me around and tell me exactly what I'd better do if I didn't want to go home with a warmed backside. And she didn't care who heard or saw her do it. Nowadays, a parent who does that is likely to end up in Big Trouble.

I'm not advocating licking kids in public. But I'm saying that kids today *know* there's nothing that can be done in public to rein them in, and they take full advantage of it.

Not to mention being perceived as a strict parent is looked down upon nowadays.
My wife and I know this from plenty of experience.

LizzieMaine said:

I'm not advocating licking kids in public.

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Well, ewww. :tongue:

Whenever we do a childrens' matinee or other kiddie-type show at work, there is *always* at least one family who shows up and lets their kids run rampant thru the lobby -- and this always ends with one of the little hellions tripping on a step and falling on their face and screaming like they've been poleaxed. So *I* end up being the Responsible Authority Figure who has to tell the kids that running isn't allowed, and I always get a dirty look from the parent -- "who are *you* to speak to *my* kid like that?" You can't win either way nowadays.

Feraud said:

Not to mention being perceived as a strict parent is looked down upon nowadays.
My wife and I know this from plenty of experience.

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Tell me about it! Once when I was telling off my toddler for grabbing sweets off the shelves in the supermarket, resulting in the screaming ab dabs (which I am completely immune to thankfully), a complete stranger handed her some with the words " I don't like to see little ones upset"!!! The nerve!!!

As it was she got a flea in her ear and the sweets were handed back, but a less confident (read stubborn) parent could easily have been cowed.

LizzieMaine said:

Whenever we do a childrens' matinee or other kiddie-type show at work, there is *always* at least one family who shows up and lets their kids run rampant thru the lobby -- and this always ends with one of the little hellions tripping on a step and falling on their face and screaming like they've been poleaxed. So *I* end up being the Responsible Authority Figure who has to tell the kids that running isn't allowed, and I always get a dirty look from the parent -- "who are *you* to speak to *my* kid like that?" You can't win either way nowadays.

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If another adult ever had to tell me off as a child I knew I was in for even bigger trouble from my mother and father! And my three know the same applies for them. They embarrass me in public with their behaviour and they're gonna know about it! lol

I can't understand how these parents don't feel embarrassed by the little hellians [huh]

I do, I got a whoopin' at the Grocery Store once. It was once because it was so humiliating, especially considering the fact I grew up in a small town and almost everyone there knew me and my family, that I was sure never to misbehave in public again.

LizzieMaine said:

I'm not advocating licking kids in public.

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If we were bad we got a good swat on the bottom and if we really were bad they'd pull your pants down first before the swat came. The embarrassment of a swat in public to the tenth power when they drop your pants first!

Geiamama said:

Tell me about it! Once when I was telling off my toddler for grabbing sweets off the shelves in the supermarket, resulting in the screaming ab dabs (which I am completely immune to thankfully), a complete stranger handed her some with the words " I don't like to see little ones upset"!!! The nerve!!!

As it was she got a flea in her ear and the sweets were handed back, but a less confident (read stubborn) parent could easily have been cowed.

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I am dumbstruck. A STRANGER gave your child sweets because she was having a tantrum?! That is completely outrageous.