Kids These Days...

When I was younger I always made sure I said 'please' and 'thank you' when it was expected, and if I forgot to then you can bet that I was called out on it.

If I lost control of my temper and snapped at someone I apologised profusely and explained my reasons afterwards, without using them as an excuse. If I unintentionally caused upset or disorder then I apologised, even though I hadn't done it on purpose.

If someone was speaking, I listened, and if a teacher, parent or any kind of authority figure spoke I wouldn't dare to talk over them.

I respected the people that taught me, lead me and raised me; and this behaviour has given me one hell of a head start into adult life.



These basic principles that I was raised with taught me skills that are vital to get ahead in life, the ability to work under management, to keep balanced relationships with friends and family, to volunteer my time for the benefit of myself and others, etc. etc. etc.

And honestly, I hate to rant with my incomplete view on the situation, but a number of the kids that I come into contact with these days are shockingly disrespectful and lacking totally in these essential lessons. The amount of times I have pushed my annoyance aside to volunteer my time for almost-teens who constantly talk over me, belittle me, and seem to be missing the 'p's and q's' section of their vocabulary disappoints me greatly.

The thing I want most is just to sit down with them on their own and ask why? Why do all of their jokes involve insults towards their friends? Why do they always feel the need to shout nonsense over a teachers conversation? Why do they think they're entitled to things they've done nothing to earn? And why do they have such a problem with simple rules and boundaries?

Honestly, this is the on-the-edge of cross tone dictating this post. 75% of the kids I know of this age are lovely, kind and thoughtful. But that quarter of rowdy children who want the world tend to know how to make others want to be like them, even if it means a friendship that's somewhat less than equal. It's quite obviously done, and I can even remember times where I experienced friends like that, one week you'll be their favourite and you feel on top of the world, the next it's someone else, suddenly you're not included as much as you were before and it's devastating.

Perhaps my ramblings are just emerging in my state of feeling hopeless, but I do wonder, how hard can it be to raise your children with a common sense of human decency?

Then again, looking at some of the people running this country, maybe the answer is; 'very'.