The trouble with today's youth
I can't believe what I saw a few hours ago. I feel like I've blundered into the twilight zone. This rant is long, so I'm putting it under a cut
Today, I saw something I never thought I'd see outside television. In a clothing store a mother and daughter were at the end of a shopping trip, each of them had several bags (the vast majority belonged to the daughter, since I doubt her mother shopped at Hot Topic or Forever 21) and they were arguing. I don't mean normal whiny "why can't I have this please I'll be good for a month" arguing, but "you don't have any say over what I wear just shut up and buy it" arguing.
Oh, did I mention the girl was all of fourteen? And she was arguing over a leather piece of nothing that would have got her arrested for indency?
So, instead of doing what a normal, responsible parent would do (reassert that I am the adult, you are the child and I'll buy you what I think is appropriate (or what I would do, which is return everything I brought the girl and let her know that if she ever talked to me that way again, she wouldn't be talking for a long time), the mother broke down and cried. Cried. In front of her kid. And the girl looked pleased . Five minutes later they were walking out of the store with said leather pieces, the girl chatting away on her cellphone about the outfit she just brought that she planned on wearing to school tomorrow.
WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!
I understand that dealing with a tween can be rough, especially when you want to be a supportive parent, but there comes a time when you have to drop the supportive and be a parent . If I'd spoken to my mother that way, she would have slapped the piss out of me (literally, the woman was heavy handed)and dared anyone to say anything to her about parenting.
And personally, that's what I think America needs: parent's to stop this 'time out' bullshit and start whupping their children again. Yes, I said whup. Spanking implies maybe five or six wacks, a few swats on the butt you give to a five year old. Whup is when you wear that little bad ass out until he's scared to put a toe wrong for at least a month. All 'time-out' does to any child over the age of six is reaffirm that no matter what I do, you're not going to punish me. It's a cop-out, an excuse to do what you need to do to make sure your child understands right from wrong and it's already damaged one generation.
Everytime I flip through the channels and see another parent on doctor Phil (or any of those other annoying talk shows) moaning about how they can't control a twelve year old, it makes me angry. Then they show the kids house and all I see are playstations and nice clothes and cellphones, and the parent just cant understand why their child is acting this way.
How in the HELL can you not control a twelve year old? They do what you say, period. You dont negotiate with a child, You don't play ' if you do this, i'll do that'. If they don't do what you say, it's time to apply pain. As anyone knows, pain is a wonderful teacher and motivator.
Am I the only one who feels this way? A single, small voice in a sea of parents who'd rather let their children be raised by Jerry Springer and gangster music than actually take an interest? I dont know. All I know is my sister feels the same way I do about childcare, and her children are the youngest, and best behaved, kids in their class.
Today, I saw something I never thought I'd see outside television. In a clothing store a mother and daughter were at the end of a shopping trip, each of them had several bags (the vast majority belonged to the daughter, since I doubt her mother shopped at Hot Topic or Forever 21) and they were arguing. I don't mean normal whiny "why can't I have this please I'll be good for a month" arguing, but "you don't have any say over what I wear just shut up and buy it" arguing.
Oh, did I mention the girl was all of fourteen? And she was arguing over a leather piece of nothing that would have got her arrested for indency?
So, instead of doing what a normal, responsible parent would do (reassert that I am the adult, you are the child and I'll buy you what I think is appropriate (or what I would do, which is return everything I brought the girl and let her know that if she ever talked to me that way again, she wouldn't be talking for a long time), the mother broke down and cried. Cried. In front of her kid. And the girl looked pleased . Five minutes later they were walking out of the store with said leather pieces, the girl chatting away on her cellphone about the outfit she just brought that she planned on wearing to school tomorrow.
WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!
I understand that dealing with a tween can be rough, especially when you want to be a supportive parent, but there comes a time when you have to drop the supportive and be a parent . If I'd spoken to my mother that way, she would have slapped the piss out of me (literally, the woman was heavy handed)and dared anyone to say anything to her about parenting.
And personally, that's what I think America needs: parent's to stop this 'time out' bullshit and start whupping their children again. Yes, I said whup. Spanking implies maybe five or six wacks, a few swats on the butt you give to a five year old. Whup is when you wear that little bad ass out until he's scared to put a toe wrong for at least a month. All 'time-out' does to any child over the age of six is reaffirm that no matter what I do, you're not going to punish me. It's a cop-out, an excuse to do what you need to do to make sure your child understands right from wrong and it's already damaged one generation.
Everytime I flip through the channels and see another parent on doctor Phil (or any of those other annoying talk shows) moaning about how they can't control a twelve year old, it makes me angry. Then they show the kids house and all I see are playstations and nice clothes and cellphones, and the parent just cant understand why their child is acting this way.
How in the HELL can you not control a twelve year old? They do what you say, period. You dont negotiate with a child, You don't play ' if you do this, i'll do that'. If they don't do what you say, it's time to apply pain. As anyone knows, pain is a wonderful teacher and motivator.
Am I the only one who feels this way? A single, small voice in a sea of parents who'd rather let their children be raised by Jerry Springer and gangster music than actually take an interest? I dont know. All I know is my sister feels the same way I do about childcare, and her children are the youngest, and best behaved, kids in their class.