Youth In America

[speedysst]

My 5 year old niece wants a pink .22 for her birthday! My brother is teaching them (2 girls) while they are young about firearm safety so even they'd rather play with dolls, they know how NOT to handle a gun.

[hatidua]

I'm 45 & don't have kids (that shiny new vasectomy is holding for now), yet like many who have posted above, most of our friends/neighbors do have children. Some of the kids are very polite and well behaved young people whereas others are coddled to the point where the smallest thing will cause them to throw an absolute fit.

Corporal punishment seems to be a thing relegated to generations past, being replaced by "time out's". None of the children in my neighborhood, regardless of age, seem to have any household duties (taking the trash out, mowing the lawn, washing the car, etc.), there are hired hands for the menial aspects of life to buffer the spawn from lowering themselves.

For a few people I know, video games and computers have become the easy option for keeping their kids occupied - less costly than a babysitter or au pair. As I was an adult before those games really took hold, I don't have a grasp on their appeal but they seem to be quite irresistible to many folks.

[DD977GM2]

It's your brother and his wife's fault your nephews are video game heads and Whitney babies. Same thing happens to me with my nephews on my side and my wife's side. It's a shame and no amour of correcting will change their upbringing.

[Whistler]

If you hung around our house growing up Mom would find something for you to do. After school we disappeared until dark building forts and tunnels, catching Water Moccasins to sell for hat bands, having wars with flaming catapult "bombs", "experimenting" with black powder, bow hunting rabbits. Just normal kid stuff.

[ben4372]

I was listening to a program about the current generation not being excited to drive. I brought home a gokart for my nephew and he was hardly exited. I would have blown someone to have an uncle like me.

[Ronin13]

Ugh, I hate this crap! My cousin has a 7 year old son, luckily the only thing she does right with raising this boy is get him into playing outdoors or into sports... that's it. He's a little shit and undisciplined brat to say the least. He is a fighter but a pussy, he'll play fight and not know that you can't go 100%, so when he hits me a little harder than he should, I give him a shot back at about 40% and then he starts crying. He also hits his dog and I always threaten that I'm going to knock him out next time he does...

[jackthewall81]

I was listening to a program about the current generation not being excited to drive. I brought home a gokart for my nephew and he was hardly exited. I would have blown someone to have an uncle like me.

I'll blow someone for a Gokart...


I meant to say ill blow up someone's balloon for a Gokart.

[brianut]

as stated the blame or responsibility falls to the parents.
My wife and I (both 35) have 2 kids, 5 and 8 and we work our asses off to do our best to make sure they grow up to be good people.
Is it hard? does it suck always having to keep them in check? yes.
but it is our Job as their parents to make sure they grow up to contribute to society in a positive way.

It feels good when people say how well behaved and mannered our children are.
A lot of people say we are too hard on them and to relax and let them be, many expect them to behave bad, biggest problem is that my kids are way better than most and if they get a bit out of line and I need to snap them into place, sometimes we get looks, comments of " oh they are fine" from friends, but it is my job and my expectation of behavior they have to live up to.
I remember hating my parents at times for the things they did(not that bad) but respect them now as an adult for doing it, makes me who I am.

Parents now days are trying to be friends with their kids instead of parenting. Proper parenting will result in your kid being able to have fun with you and still be your "friend" in a more truer sense.

the kids not wanting to drive baffles me.

My neighbors kid, 16, no desire to get his license. I dont get that. I was doing everything I could to be mobile at that age, he is content with just watching tv all day.

sad

[josh7328]

Really kids don't want to drive? WOW! Do they just expect to bum off of other people all the time?
My home has all of zero video game systems. We do, however, have kayaks, fishing poles, hiking gear, scuba gear etc...... I don't want my daughter to become the uneducated, lazy, screen-glued kid that so many families see as the norm now.

[jreifsch80]

it's funny because my 4 year old daughter already wants to drive haha and she already wants a pink and purple ak74 and her own mosin nagant. my wife can coddle her at times but she knows that no means no and that when she's disobedient she will be scolded accordingly