Are Modern Parents Wussy?

[Hobbit]

I was just thinking about this today as I was serving food at my job. When I was a child, my mother typically cooked every night. Whatever she cooked or, on occasion, whatever she brought home, is what we ate, with rare few exceptions (the 'pickled beets' experiment ended in vomit followed by hot dogs). If my mom cooked spaghetti, we had spaghetti. If Mom cooked a chicken, we called dibs on whatever parts there were and ate that chicken. Whatever Mama put on the table is what we ate, because it was either eat that or go hungry.

Now, what brings this up. Well, at the deli where I work (in a Publix, for those of you from the southeast), we sell pieces of fried chicken two ways. The first is boxes. We have boxes ranging from 8-20 piece available in either mixed or dark. The second is piece by piece. This can be quite expensive if you get more than about 2 pieces. In fact, 3 breasts cost almost as much as an 8 piece mixed box. Therefore, whenever somebody asks to buy more than just a couple of pieces, I point out the boxes. However, I see more and more people seriously overpaying for their chicken because their kids are only willing to eat select pieces of the chicken. Apparantly, these moms aren't tough enough to tell their kids that thighs taste good, too.

Alone, this doesn't amount to much, but I see it as indicative of a larger, scary trend, and that is parents unwilling to stand up to their children. I see little brats running around the aisles, grabbing stuff at random, screaming their heads off, and, much like Democrats to terrorists, the parents just try to appease them, hoping that stuffing a piece of candy down their throats will shut them up. Parents are turning into wusses, and it really helps explain things like Emo, one of the dumbest, wimpiest, most self-righteous trends among teenagers I've ever seen.

So, thought? Commentary? Am I way off, or do you see the increasing wussiness in parents, as well?

 

[dmp]

Yes - to answer your question. By and Large today's parents are NINNIES.

 

[Redhots]

Everyone thinks their generation was the most hardcore badasses on the planet.

 

[Hobbit]

Everyone thinks their generation was the most hardcore badasses on the planet.

Oh, not me. My generation is full of ninnies. Unless we're 'compelled' to get up and go fight Iran sometime soon, I fear for the next generation. Being raised by ninnies doesn't tend to have good results.

 

[Working Man]

The kids today, who make kids of their own, should have never made it. Go to Walmart and listen to the children tell their parents what they want... More like demand what they want..

Of course, if you look near the checkout lanes, up off the ceilings, you will see cell phone ads that say " Foreign language",, what the ad is saying, your kids need a phone that text messages so the little bastards can play with their friends and not pay attention to the teachers.. Next time, parents of the kids who use these phones,, do oral sex till completion, or use two types of contraception. Mechanical and chemical.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Every generation, starting with the boomers, is getting progressively wimpier. Trends tend to swing back in the opposite direction, though, so I am hopeful for a tougher, WWII-type generation down the road.

Btw, can someone explain Emo to me? All I know about it is that my daughter sees it as kind of pathetic.

 

[Nienna]

Every generation, starting with the boomers, is getting progressively wimpier. Trends tend to swing back in the opposite direction, though, so I am hopeful for a tougher, WWII-type generation down the road.

Btw, can someone explain Emo to me? All I know about it is that my daughter sees it as kind of pathetic.

This seems to cover it...
http://www.fourfa.com/

 

[Abbey Normal]

This seems to cover it...
http://www.fourfa.com/

Thanks, J.

I started laughing when I read this part from the site:

"The vocal style is usually much more intense than emocore, ranging from normal singing in the quiet parts to a kind of pleading howl to gut-wrenching screams to actual sobbing and crying."

Remember when teen music was all macho and stuff?

 

[Nienna]

Thanks, J.

I started laughing when I read this part from the site:

"The vocal style is usually much more intense than emocore, ranging from normal singing in the quiet parts to a kind of pleading howl to gut-wrenching screams to actual sobbing and crying."

Remember when teen music was all macho and stuff?

Big hair bands?

:guitar1:

 

[Gunny]

Yes - to answer your question. By and Large today's parents are NINNIES.

What else can they be whe PC laws empower children while emasculating parents? The only time the law allows you to be the parent is when they are affixing blame/responsibility.

 

[Annie]

I think a lot of parents today do give into materialistic goods in lieu of time with their children. The kids are neglected in parental attention, though not in activities, clothes, and toys.

Because parents do not spend the time with their children that many parents raising children in the 50's or 60's did, I think they often are afraid of making their children 'angry' at them, gosh forbid, say that they 'hate' them. I don't think that letting kids pick out the pieces of chicken they like or what kind of clothes they are going to wear will lead to larger problems later, I find the inability of many parents to set expectations and mete out consequences for failure to meet them as problematic. It starts with the checkout lanes at 2 and continues through school and sports, blaming others rather than holding their child(ren) accountable.

 

[William Joyce]

Every generation, starting with the boomers, is getting progressively wimpier. Trends tend to swing back in the opposite direction, though, so I am hopeful for a tougher, WWII-type generation down the road.

Yeah, question is, WHAT WILL TRIGGER THIS? Some major economic collapse or huge war or both. We get softer and softer and weaker and weaker because of our past strength, which enables prosperity, but eventually it makes us so soft we go pop. But durable cultures have found ways to "work in" hardening even when they're doing OK.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Yeah, question is, WHAT WILL TRIGGER THIS? Some major economic collapse or huge war or both. We get softer and softer and weaker and weaker because of our past strength, which enables prosperity, but eventually it makes us so soft we go pop. But durable cultures have found ways to "work in" hardening even when they're doing OK.

It may take something pretty harsh to change our ways. Or people might just get sick of being soft and try to do better.

 

[Annie]

It may take something pretty harsh to change our ways. Or people might just get sick of being soft and try to do better.

Abbey do you think that kids picking out pieces of chicken, clothes, activities harms them in some way?

My parents weren't 'strict' but we had rules. If we broke the rules, there were consequences. Do you force your daughter or did you when she was young, to finish what you made, if she didn't like it?

On the other hand, if she chose not to clean her room or did it incompletely, did you shrug and say, 'Ok.'?

From what you've posted, your daughter seems to be a 'good kid', as well as successful. I would ask the same of Mr. P, who's daughter also seems 'a good kid,' and successful. Where did you draw lines?

 

[Abbey Normal]

Abbey do you think that kids picking out pieces of chicken, clothes, activities harms them in some way?

My parents weren't 'strict' but we had rules. If we broke the rules, there were consequences. Do you force your daughter or did you when she was young, to finish what you made, if she didn't like it?

On the other hand, if she chose not to clean her room or did it incompletely, did you shrug and say, 'Ok.'?

From what you've posted, your daughter seems to be a 'good kid', as well as successful. I would ask the same of Mr. P, who's daughter also seems 'a good kid,' and successful. Where did you draw lines?

Thanks Kathianne. She's very much a 15 year old now- 'nuff said, ey?

Food is a weird subject for me and not indicative of my behavior on other issues. As a child, my parents forced us to eat whatever they served, even if I despised it. I vowed never to do that to my child, and I haven't. But I don't go so far as to make separate meals or anything drastic like that. I just try to make dishes that everyone will like.

In general, I see spoiled kids all around me. Kids with single parents and living in so-so neighborhoods, yet on their second iPods, camera phones, $300 shopping trips to Hollister. What kills me is the kids are still dissatisfied.

My daughter doesn't do nearly the chores I did, but we make excuses because she has so much homework, band practice and competitions on weekends, trumpet lessons, etc. Perhaps that is a mistake, and one that many parents today make with their overscheduled kids.

 

[Annie]

Thanks Kathianne. She's very much a 15 year old now- 'nuff said, ey?

Food is a weird subject for me and not indicative of my behavior on other issues. As a child, my parents forced us to eat whatever they served, even if I despised it. I vowed never to do that to my child, and I haven't. But I don't go so far as to make separate meals or anything drastic like that. I just try to make dishes that everyone will like.

In general, I see spoiled kids all around me. Kids with single parents and living in so-so neighborhoods, yet on their second iPods, camera phones, $300 shopping trips to Hollister. What kills me is the kids are still dissatisfied.

My daughter doesn't do nearly the chores I did, but we make excuses because she has so much homework, band practice and competitions on weekends, trumpet lessons, etc. Perhaps that is a mistake, and one that many parents today make with their overscheduled kids.

Hey Abbey, she's in band, you're lucky. I hear you on food. I know for a fact that my parents had problems with that, my dad was kind of 'eat what's put before you.' My mom was more like, 'if they are hungry, they'll eat.' My dad was also an ogre about chewing with mouth closed; elbows off table; no 'shoveling' food. My mom tried to keep meals 'digestible'.

They compromised. We got to have 2 hate foods. We didn't have to eat or even taste them. If my mom made hot dogs, I could have something else, equally easy to prepare. For my brother, (smarter), anything to do with fish. However, if on a given day I didn't want 'spaghetti', I had to sit through dinner. No other food offered. I didn't have to eat it, but there wasn't an alternative, even if I would make it myself. I just had to skip dinner. Obviously if we skipped dinner, there was no dessert.

I did similar with my kids, though I allowed them to make their own substitute. (If they didn't want spaghetti, they could make tuna or peanut butter sandwich, but no dessert). In any case, just like my parents, they had to sit with family for dinner.

I know what you mean about 15 year old girl, 'You are so embarrassing!' Has she ever given 'less than she is capable of'? If so, did you lay blame on her or teacher? I can bet it wasn't the teacher.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Hey Abbey, she's in band, you're lucky. I hear you on food. I know for a fact that my parents had problems with that, my dad was kind of 'eat what's put before you.' My mom was more like, 'if they are hungry, they'll eat.' My dad was also an ogre about chewing with mouth closed; elbows off table; no 'shoveling' food. My mom tried to keep meals 'digestible'.

They compromised. We got to have 2 hate foods. We didn't have to eat or even taste them. If my mom made hot dogs, I could have something else, equally easy to prepare. For my brother, (smarter), anything to do with fish. However, if on a given day I didn't want 'spaghetti', I had to sit through dinner. No other food offered. I didn't have to eat it, but there wasn't an alternative, even if I would make it myself. I just had to skip dinner. Obviously if we skipped dinner, there was no dessert.

I did similar with my kids, though I allowed them to make their own substitute. (If they didn't want spaghetti, they could make tuna or peanut butter sandwich, but no dessert). In any case, just like my parents, they had to sit with family for dinner.

I know what you mean about 15 year old girl, 'You are so embarrassing!' Has she ever given 'less than she is capable of'? If so, did you lay blame on her or teacher? I can bet it wasn't the teacher.

I think my daughter's happiness quotient can now be expressed as an inverse ratio of her proximity to me. :tears1:

Oh, I love the "two hate foods" idea! I wish I'd had that option as a child; especially at the Catholic grammar school cafeteria.

My husband is big on meeting with the teacher if there is a bad grade, to try to figure out where the problem lies. We've seen it go both ways, such as when her History teacher misplaced an assigment and dinged her for it. If we hadn't met with him, he may have never looked for it. But generally, the problem is simply that our daughter wasn't paying attention, lol.