Kids now & then

Age now: 22
When I did something wrong, I was punished. If I said a cuss word in public, I was punished. If I didn't respect my elders, I was punished. If I didn't get good grades, I was punished (funny enough, I never received anything besides an "A").
Age: 0-17 (when I moved out)
Kids are missing out on REAL parenting. Yes, yes, there are plenty of you here on MFP that are going to go "NOT UH NO WAY! I AM AN AWESOME PARENT! MY KIDS ARE RESPECTFUL!"
Yeah, you're like the 2% of people that can actually say that and mean it. Look around you. I work with the public. I fear for our future. It's not just young children either.. It probably started in my generation or a little before and has gotten progressively worse.

Just my opinion.

age now--21

I am pretty much exactly with you and katamus on this!!


kids miss out on: life. they are babied, lack morals and respect, and are lazy and dont play like kids. NO, playing video games where you slit peoples throats is NOT PLAYING. playing is pretending to marry your barbie dolls. or running around the neighborhood all summer until its dark. I also was punished and spanked and I deserved it every time. I have had a job since age 13. Soon thats gonna completely be a of the past ( if it already isnt).

Marrying Barbie Dolls.. YES! Lol. But I also really REALLY loved Legos. We would make whole Lego towns. The Lego people would get married too.

Age now: 44
I had to work to earn money for the things I wanted. I had 3 jobs while growing up: age 9-18 (farm work, NOT my family's farm, we were city folks), age 10-18 (babysitting), age 13-18 (waitress). I had to pay for my own car when I turned 16 and for my college education.

Age 10-18+
Kids get everything handed to them.

I also agree with everything Katamus said!

You any of you actually have any kids? Or are you just some regurgitation of the same old smack spouted by some grumpy old git from that idiot box in the corner.
95% of kids in the real world have fun outside the home, join clubs, have paper-round, work weekends, do stuff over their friends homes, have pretend fight, build dens, run around, play tag, watch crap movies from behind the sofa and do all the same stuff I did 40 years ago.

Exactly! Seems like there's a Grumpy Old Man (aka Get Off My Lawn) nostalgia syndrome happening here.
I'm 46 and my kids do all the same crazy **** that I did growing up (with the exception of playing with dynamite (as far as I can tell))
They also get to hang out in front of game consoles and computers and talk to friends and relatives in other countries whenever they want. They ride bikes to friends houses. They (gasp!) bike home in the dark. Swim at the lake, climb trees, jump on the trampoline, build forts, longboard down freakishly steep hills, etc etc etc. Also, far more kids have regular jobs now than when I was a child.

On a light note:


I am 39,

My son is 17 and when I was 17 I had a job, went out on dates, drank illegally, tried drugs, and tried acid and cocaine and tried to steal stuff from stores.
(Not proud of that by the way)
My son does not work (but looking), doesn’t go out on dates (he don't have a car), or drink, and hates drugs people who Do them (as he told me “Mom, drugs are so 80’s smart people don’t do them) he thinks it stupid.....THANK YOU GOD.