Why are American parents so waffly as parents?

Question

I'm watching one of those "nanny" shows and the parents on this show are such wimps--i.e. pleading with their kids at bedtime, trying to persuade them to eat, giving in at every whine, etc.

Even when I'm out I see kids behaving awful in cafes & restaurants, stores often eating like little wild animals instead of humans, using their hands instead of silverware. The parents just act like nothing's happening. I can understand not hitting your kid, but not even a word of correction. Someone tell me!!!!!

Answer 1

We get the same nonsense on "nanny" shows in Britain

Answer 2

Because parents everywhere nowadays want to be "friends" with their kids instead of parents.

Answer 3

Well when you have Ritalin as the answer to parenting nowadays, it's hard to learn the meaning of discipline without first popping that pill into that little sucker's mouth now isn't it?

yeah and by the way don't listen to all these idiots who keep telling you that you're generalizing america based on a tv show, it is true. parenting has plummeted by ALOT nowadays, back then it was acceptional in society to backhand or spank a kid if he did something bad, but of course nowadays you have this child protective services bullshit on your *** if god forbid you give your kid a smack on the rear.

MERRANVO is the typical brainwashed MORON who gives in to the drug administration's LYING DECIETFUL SCHEMES and PAYS to have his children all DOPED up because he is too d**n LAZY to know how to DISCIPLINE his children the PROPER way. Yeah isn't that right Merranvo? You love shoving that pill down your kid's mouths to shut them the h**l up don't you? They're so doped up they're drooling on themselves dead-silly. You DO KNOW that RITALIN has a bunch of NASTY SIDE EFFECTS like IRREGULAR HEARTH RHYTHMS, don't you? You'd rather have your kids become DEPENDENT on a DRUG to calm their bratty asses down rather than to actually RAISE them the RIGHT way??? You want your own children of flesh and blood to have irregular heart beats because you're such a typical tool that you actually gave in to what the drug administration tells you, and you honestly believe that anything FDA approved is ALL RIGHT? yeah, check this out you smart alac, read these two paragraphs:

This approval is an example of FDA's slip shod safety review and approval process: FDA officials issued the approval during the quiet days of August, without convening an advisory committee to evaluate the risk / benefit for children.

In contradiction to unsubstantiated marketing claims, these antipsychotics pose greater risks for patients' overall medical condition than the old-cheap-neuroleptics which they replace. The damage they produce has led to multi-billion dollar legal settlements. And it is the threat of more lawsuits that, we believe, prompted the FDA to take this action in an effort to lend the appearance of legitimacy for off-label prescribing of these drugs. The massive misprescribing was prompted by manufacturers' legally questionable marketing activities which are currently under multiple government investigations.

http://ahrp.blogspot.com/2007/08/fda-app...

How do you like your FDA now, huh? You think you can trust anyone or any organization that tells you anything you hear nowadays? Well it goes to show that the FDA ISN'T accurate, at all. Their mind is on the money most of the time, not the health of others. Btw, ADHD and ADD is a total crock, a laugh, a scam. You're really for labeling kids that act hyper or get easily distracted, when that's normal for them to do? All it takes is a thing called parenting, not a pill to treat them.

Answer 4

I think parents forget to be parents first and want to be friends with their kids.  They can't stand to hear their children cry, they don't want their children to be sad, etc.   Kids cry and kids get sad, its a fact of life.  It also upsets me when children back talk to their parents.  If my daughter said some of the stuff I have heard out in public, she would have been swatted!  But, that being said, I don't think that ALL American's are "waffly" as parents.   Most parents do a pretty good job.  Kids don't come with an owners manual and some parents just do the best they can, right or wrong, good or bad.  

Answer 5

Heee, heeee,heee. Americans are waffly about everything.

They can't make up their minds, so they don't vote; they

have a million choices and end up eating pretty much the same

thing all the time; they wear fashions like sheep.

As for parenting, I've seen this in all cultures, where the

parents have decided to let the kids run the show.

If you don't step up and take the responsibility and be the

parent, and let your yes be yes and your no be no, you

will have disrespectful bratty kids.

Sometimes Tv is kinda like life, guys.

Answer 6

It's because Americans give too much importance to kids. When I was growing up, you couldn't dare interrupt adults when they were talking. Nowadays, kids run the parents...Oh yeah, nobody spanks their kids anymore either. That's the problem.

Answer 7

That's mostly the white parents.  That kind of **** does NOT fly with black, latino, and asian parents lol.

Answer 8

no they are BAD american parents. That's why they are on a nanny TV show.

Answer 9

Way to overgeneralize. You're basing all of America off of a TV show?

Answer 10

i guess 'cause american parents want to be more as their children's friends than parents...which allow the children to do that sort of staff..

Answer 11

lol.

this is funny to hear.

Dont be deceived by those nanny shows.

not all american parents are like that

Answer 12

Many other cultures have a concept of respecting the wisdom of elders, but Americans are unique in that they have been educated to take pride in breaking away from their European "parents".  American heroes tend to be portrayed as being at least eccentric (such as Benjamin Franklin) or barely better than wild animals themselves (such as Davy Crockett).  Even the heroes that Americans borrow from other cultures (such as Mulan) are known for being non-conformists who break social protocol.  Americans also are subject to a strong Christian influence, and the American Christians seem to believe that "from the mouth of babes comes perfect truth".  Therefore, it's not surprising that many Americans have been raised to worship youth and the unrestrained innocent/"wild" impulses in humans.

Furthermore, with Big Media defending mere entertainment as if it were more valuable than scientific patents, many Americans culture has come to prize creativity over discipline, and the American dream these days is to make millions off of a brief burst of creativity rather than many long years of hard work.  Many parents seem to be worried that teaching their children even a small modicum of discipline may stifle their child's creativity, cost them future opportunities, and make them less competitive in a society that prizes youth, rebelliousness, and creativity.

I think part of it might also be that parents these days are also unsure of themselves and no longer know any better.  The world is constantly changing, and we're constantly finding out that everything we knew before was wrong.  It used to be that moms fed their families a high percentage of carbohydrates because that's what they were told was healthy, but now we're finding that following such advice has created an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes.  How can parents have the confidence to discipline their children when they are repeatedly being shown that, really, nobody knows anything for sure?  I think many parents are afraid that any word of correction can traumatize, warp, hurt, or hinder a child for life.  Americans "win" by being right, so many would rather do nothing than be wrong.

Answer 13

You're basing your answer on a T.V. show? Thats like me saying why are all the Brits so obscene and annoying because i saw Most Haunted.  Really you sound extremely ignorant.

Answer 14

Hey my parents were not weak. Maybe that is why I am now in law school while the rest of the clowns I went to school with did not do as well.

Answer 15

I'm an American Dad, oh yeah, aint that a show? You should really see my house...You just might change your mind on what we are really like. In other words, my three kids will tell your dad "yes sir"...Any more questions? You can't believe everything you see on TV...The things that made us who we are is still there, just can't find it on TV. Guess it doesn't bring in the ratings showing Americans in a good light...

Answer 16

A lot of parents when they were kids hated getting disciplined so they don't do discipline their kids which results in them becoming monsters.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 17

i dont understand it either! in society these days, if you spank your child and someone sees it, they can call the cops or dhr on you (which is rediculous) where im from and how i was raised, if they kid is being bad and youve asked twice for them to be good, 3rd times a charm they say. i wont hesitate to spank my kid no matter where we are.

Answer 18

Great way to display your ignorance by generalizing the whole nation.