I just read this article on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel web site: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/43318557.html

Yikes! What is going on with this kind of behavior?

 

Mmmm... a lack of parenting and education I guess... which in turn can be traced back to a lot of other things I suppose. At least it wasn't a MINI dealership.

A few years ago, some guy, whom they apprehended soon after, vandalized a bunch of new Cadillacs at a local dealership. I guess if you're going to screw up your life, you should do it as expensively as you can conceive of.

 

It's all about modern parenting skills IMO. Parents are discouraged from teaching children about things like consequences for actions. So when a kid makes a mess the response is "Oh, it's okay sweetie. I'll get it." Instead of, "Get out the mop. You made the mess, you clean it up."

I don't know how many times I've seen parents do similar things and then are completely bewildered when their children act out at school or day care and get kicked out.

Come on people. Do the math.

 

It's not ALL about the parenting, although I agree that a major reason for some of the behavior patters we're seeing in young people these days.

Some of it goes to the school systems.

\Rant

I try very hard to teach my son accountability and responsibility. Yet, every night, the school wants me to go onto the internet, log on and check the homework assignment, verify my son has completed it, and initial off in his daily agenda book that I've checked it. And if anything is missing, I get an e-mail... some of them look like this: "Mr CR&PW&JB , Coby's work was not completed. Did you check it last evening ?".

BTW, he's not in third grade. He's in middle school... 7th grade.

WTH ? Anybody over the age of 35 here ever have their parents responsible for their homework ? I think not. It was up to us to make sure our work was done. And if we failed, it reflected on our report card and then there was the price to pay from the parents.

Coddling and spoiling our kids. Sometimes at home, sometimes at school, sometimes both.

/Rant

 

i tihnk its todays kids who thinkg the world owes them...

 

Slight threadjack here but...

Where is it the school system's fault that your son didn't complete his homework? Sounds like he just didn't take that accountability and responsibility lesson to heart just yet. The school cannot force a child to do the work, and sadly, a number of parents will not keep up with whether or not their child is doing the work and then get mad at the teacher at the end of the year if the child fails. Thus the constant contact with parents. They want to mitigate that outcome.

As to the OP...

Sounds like the infamous "I'm a minor, I won't get in trouble" mentality. Saw a LOT of that in high school back in the late 90s, so I'm sure it's still out there.

 

Aaaactually, my dear, did it occur to you that the school is attempting to "train" the parents, too? YOU may not be "that guy" but there are so many parents who don't CARE what their kids get up to, nor what they're doing in school, nor parenting in general, that maybe some of the schools have resorted to this kind of thing to get/keep parents involved with their kids? I"m not saying it's right, necessarily, but...

I don't understand kids these days (wow, do I sound OLD) but there really ISN"T any accountability - and it's not just kids...it's adults, too, and it's turned into "trickle down effect" i think. I read an article about "Gen Y-ers" and why they think they're so priviledged...why they think they ought to have the best jobs, even though they don't work for it, etc. Sadly, it made lots of sense. I run into it all the time at work, and I'm always surprised at the extent of it. We've built in tools at work to hold people accountable, but seniors want to be "nice people" instead of leaderes/supervisors, and let the tools go unused. I've been labeled a you-know-what-kind-of-female-dog because I DON'T try to be a nice person. That's NOT what I signed up for, and NOT what I get paid to do.

 

Reading comprehension skills lacking ??

Not blaming the school for my kid not turning in his homework. Trust me, I hold him accountable. I'm blaming the school for making ME accountable. It's not my homework... I passed the 7th grade... and 120 credit hours of college.

If my kid doesn't do his work and fails, then HE fails. It's his fault, not mine, not the school's.

 

I resent anyone telling me how I need to check my kid's homework. I'm not 10 years old and neither is my kid. He's nearly 14, for God's sake. When is the school system going to make these kids accountable, and not the parents ? When the kid is 20 ?

Today's world... wow, how we've taken some wrong turns.

 

Take a deep breath... *sucks in air*...Deeeeeper..... I'm glad to hear some parents are holding the kids to it. It DOES concern me though - the other day my friend with a son in kindergarten are already working on fractions?

 

Yeah, I assure you there are still some parents that hold their kids to it.

I set my own son back a grade in elementary school. The school wanted to pass him to the next grade. I wouldn't allow it. He would have struggled even more and would have given him an inferiority complex, quite possibly. The next year, the principle called me and told me I made the right choice and she apologized for arguing with me about it.

 

I've seen a few related situations and in these cases parenting was a big factor....that and sheer stupidity on the part of the kids and their "friends." Given the scenario mentioned...wait and see...the factors at work will probably be tragically familiar.

 

I don't think I'd be surprised if the PARENTS of these kids tried to sue. I just don't get it.

 

This is one of my pet-peeves, not that someone is attempting to "train", but that they don't want to take the time to focus their "attempt". They shouldn't waist everyone's time, but they should do their own homework first and only work with the parents who are not paying attention to their kids. Taking the simple way out, by targeting everyone, usually doesn't get the desired results.

 

Whoa calm down. If I misunderstood your post, I apologize. I'm saying that all the school is trying to do is make sure that you are aware that your child didn't complete the work. Like I said, it's to mitigate the parents who come up at the end of the year and say they had no idea that little Timmy was behind in Math/Science/etc and demand to know why the teacher didn't tell them. This way they can say "Well we tried to notify you as best we could." You're aware of the situation and doing your part, so ignore those little emails, as they're really not meant for you.

 

I'm very calm, thanks.

And you misunderstood from the start. The school isn't making me aware of late assignments AFTER the fact, they are making me responsible for checking homework daily, BEFORE it is due.

If my son does not turn in work on time, THEN tell me. I do want to know. But to take the accountability of turning in daily homework away from these young teens and dump it on the parents is ridiculous, IMO. I'm telling you, it goes as far as getting e-mails from teachers asking why I didn't ensure my kid did his work the night before. To which I reply, "I assure you, he did it. I saw it. I can't hold his hand and make sure he turns it in". Sheeshz.

I went through school in the 60's and 70's and never once did my parents have to make sure I did my homework before it was due the next day. The amount of coddling society gives to young people these days... it's no wonder this country is going in the wrong direction on many levels.

 

I'm probably one of the younger ones in here, but I've also noticed this trend. When I was a kid, it seemed that we were held accountable for our actions. If we messed up in any sort of way - we would pay the consequences. If we wanted something, we'd have to WORK for it - even if it meant mowing lawns and washing cars all summer (or shoveling snow in the winter).

Today, children just don't seem to be disciplined the way kids were when I was growing up. Parents who adopt this new way of thinking seem to think their children will end up "messed up in the head" if they try to enforce any rules/discipline on their kids. I got plenty of discipline when I was younger (and so did the majority of my friends), and I wouldn't consider any of us to be mental cases.

And as far as children working toward their goals: Heaven forbid if a kid runs a lawnmower in the heat of the summer! Children are entitled to their Xboxes, cell phones, blackberries, ipods, laptops, etc. It's child abuse if your kid is outside shoveling snow in the winter!

What IS the world coming to??

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I went to school in the 80's and 90's, and I knew if I failed to do a homework assignment - there would some explaining to do to the parental units...and I'd suffer from some sort of appropriate disciplinary action. I think it was sometime around when I was going to school that attitudes started to change... Fortunately, my parents were old-school and knew better than to adopt that crap.

 

While I had a number of electronics amenities growing up, my father is quite handy in the electricity dept. and made sure that there was a switch in the breaker box that was specific to my room. In retrospect, I think that's a fine idea.

Doesn't solve the issue of iPods and I guess laptops, but the batteries will die sometime.

The thing I really don't get is why any child that is not of driving age needs a cell phone, and especially why they would need that cell phone AT SCHOOL...

But yeah, discipline is definitely something that needs to be back in society. Stop the whole "Oh my gosh, they're abusing that child!" when a parent has to spank a child for acting out.

 

Not allowed to discipline your kids cause if you do it is child abuse, not allowed to keep score in peewee sports because there can be no losers. No wonder so many kids are screwed up in the head when something finally doesn't go their way. i was spanked, sent to my room (in a day when there were no electronic gadgets anyways) without dinner and I turned out fine. yes ther are many kids that turn out just fine in todays society but it is much less percentage wise than my day i can practically guarantee you that. Jails are over crowded with all these "success" stories of today.