Are children and young people really naughtier then they used to be?

Question

I have a cultural question that may seem kind of strange. Is it just me or are more children today spoiled and undisciplined? It's a well known fact that a two year old child will throw tantrums sometimes and that teenage males have hormones. But, it seems things have gotten worse.

You go into a store and see children not just throwing tantrums but screaming at the top of their lungs for something they want. Among young men there seems to be a lot of disrespect for women and authority in general.

I don't believe in excessive punishment. Nor, am I saying anyone is without misbehavior growing up, but I do wonder whether today's children are raised with too little discipline. What do parents out there think? Are children today worse?

Answer 1

Yes the kids do not respect or behave like they used to. I blame the parents and society. I think kids have more control over their parents then parents over them. Its scary to see what today's youth is turning into. Teen girls are allowed to dress like street walkers and that is eye candy for horny teen boys and men. That's why there are so many teen pregnancy's today. They have adult bodies and child like minds its a scary combination.

Answer 2

No they're not "naughtier" They throw tanturms and screamin gbecause their parents ALLOW them too.  I didn't allow my kids to behave that way.  I simply didn't take them out in public after the first tantrum.  If I needed to go somewhere I would hire a sitter, swap kid watching with neighbors or leave the child(ren) with their father or another family member.

Answer 3

I am not sure that children or young people are worse...

I think its more that people are more aware of whats around them. With the sharp increase in population and news/media things become more open.

Answer 4

We are now living in the age of child psychology and freedom of attire.

Child aspect: Parents are no longer wishing to reprimand their children due to the possibility they may be damaging their ever so fragile psyches leading to a life-time of them (children) blaming them (parents) for their problems as the parents feel they do of their own. They also do not want to jeopardize the love the children have for them by "laying down rules and setting boundaries". What also does not help is that more often than not it takes both parents to work to provide for their children these days leaving the children in the care of others. This in return leaves the parents feeling guilty and then have the desire to make it up to them.

Of course  you also have the lazy parents who do not feel compelled to discipline their children because it is too much work.

Teenager aspect: Young girls have always wanted to look more grown up and at one point that was fine and dandy because grown women dressed more conservatively. However, these days that is considered prudish and women are showing more and more and wearing less and less. Our young ladies and young men are now suffering for this. The young girls are now dressing like streetwalkers when they go to school, the boys seeing more skin than they should  mixed with the s**y attire are now acting on it. The young ladies (as well as older ones) do not have any realy respect for themselves and when one does not respect themselves how can others respect them?

I'm not saying the old "She got what she had coming because of the way she is dressed" but more often than not the way you dress shoes how much respect you have for yourself and these poor disillusioned young ladies are dressing the way they are taught to dress w/o any real appreciation of what they are wearing. They UNDERSTAND they are dressing s**y but don't APPRECIATE the meaning of it. Not to mention, due to the raising of our children w/o any real consequences to their actions in the younger years due to lack of discipline, children are now w/o morals, ethics, manners, simple consideration of others, etc.

Answer 5

No, children are not naughtier. Children today still act similar to those in the past. It's their parents who don't discipline them properly (one reason we need Super Nanny) and reward their bad behavior, intentionally or unintentionally. The new generation of parents is the "I want it now, no matter who I hurt in the process" generation.

My classmates and I never treated our teachers the way my students treat their teachers and peers today. The difference: we were taught respect at home. Believe it or not, kids treat their parents the same way. I have witnessed them talking back and disrespecting their parents only to hear their parents laugh. This only encourages their behavior.

Today, if a parent disciplines her child in public by spanking him/her, she is arrested (Iowa woman arrested for spanking her disrespectful daughter in public). Parents tolerate talking back, and encourage defiant behavior whether they realize it or not.  Kids are able to argue their way out of things, instead of "No means no because...End of story" Broken families are the norm, and often parents work more than one job. They are more permissive of sexual behaviors (growing up in the 60s and 70s?) Just take a look at the questions on this site! So, to answer your question, kids are the same as they have always been. It's their parents who have changed.

Answer 6

Its not the children that are worse, its their parents. 99% of what a child does, they do because they are allowed to get away with it. Those kids are brats because their parents let them be brats. my kids aren't because they know its not tollerated. There are plenty of parents out there raising good kids. Sadly, the bratty kids get most of the attention.

Answer 7

I think that parents are afraid to discipline their children. Nowadays you can get your child taken away for spanking them. When I was younger, if I misbehaved my mom would slap me (when I was a little older) or spank my butt no matter where you are. I was behaving out of fear, but I was good in public and had respect for others.

I have one of the children you hear screaming in the grocery store. Nothing works with her I have tried everything. She hates timeouts the worst but she will come right back out and do the same thing again. I have tried spanking and she laughs at me. My other two kids are pretty well behaved, she is my only girl and she is 4 but man I am terrified for the teenage years. She is very very cute, and tries to get away with everything, she just seems to have a massive amount of energy all the time. I even have her in dance classes and she acts like a wild child in there too. I was hoping it would calm her down but it didnt work.

Answer 8

it is true parents have been lacking, it is so heartbreaking for the lack of not only discipline but morals that are being taught. You have so many parents that let children raise themselves, I call it easy parenting. Its easier to give in the deal with the root of the problem or negative behavior

Answer 9

I have to agree with the first answerer.

I see the kind of kid you are talking about every time I go visit my cousin. Her daughter is so horrible and it's because my cousin lets her get away with it. My cousin just tells her no and leaves it at that. Her daughter is 2 years old, she needs to start spanking her or something.

With me I spank my daughter, send her to time outs, yeah I do the yelling no thing and just yelling also but that doesn't hardly ever work.

Parents need to start showing their kids who is in charge. I know a lot of people let their kids walk all over them and that is where you get the "brats" or "spoiled" kids.

Answer 10

i raise my children like my parents did, I spank them,starve them,paddle them,threaten them and punch them.