Do young people expect too much today?

No, I think you're right. I think there is a really high technological demand from young kids. I remember the good days when I was young when entertainment was with a chess board or Candyland. Now kids play games on the computer from age 4. I thought you'd also be interested in an article from MSNBC - "Too young? Preteen girls get bikini waxes". Yes, girls are getting bikini waxes younger and younger. I have no idea why. I think there is a general rush to grow up when you're young. When they're adults, do you think they'll miss childhood?

i think that kids do expect too much. my daughters are 13 and 12 and they think that they should be able to have boyfriends. go on the internet when ever they want to. they think that they should be able to do what ever they want to do because they do good at school and they do their chores. they think that i should never tell them no to anything. yea right. that is not going to happen.

Most kids are given to much. I gave my girls a cell phone when they started driving so for emergancys and when we got them a car... It was an older car. And they had to pay all the upkeep and insurance and gas. I felt with previlages come responsability. If they could not pay there insureance or pay for gas then the car sat. They both got jobs after school and both kept up there part. But, I alway had to hear about how this friend was given a new car and had the best of all cell phones and didn't have to work cause there parents paid for it all. And I told them. I'm not there parent. And if they were my kids they wouldn't have it...I feel the fault is on the parents. I have a friend whos daughter is sixteen and she is having to get her a new cell phone about ever other month when the new once come out. The kid will not work...She told her mother that it is her responcability to give her this stuff. Her mother even tryed to buy her daughter a new car but couldn't get the credit for it..couse she was over extended. The daughter got really mad. She wanted a Monte Carlo (NEW) So the mother lets the daughter drive her corvette to school. I would never put a sixteen year old driver behind the wheel of a corvette. So, I would have to say it is the fault of parents....They think they need to have everyone look up at them and say wow you guys are rich...become the big shot of the town and when really they are just hurting the kid more when it come time for them to make it on there own. I remember when a semple card board box was the best toy a kid could find to play with or moms pots and pans. Our kids are blinded by the bling and are living in a world that they think everyone owns them....

yes i do think they expect way too much. i tell my son to stop asking for things because we can barely pay our bills and he has to understand that even at the young age of 8. he is an only child and he has plenty. but we are struggling and i am trying to teach him that when things are tough you can only spend on the absolute essentials and your bills. he gets it to a point but it has not really sunk in 100%. it comes with maturity. we never asked for anything when we were kids because we just knew there was no money.

Hi, I agree and disagree with the points you make. Young people do expect a lot, sometimes too much. But I disagree that only young people today expect too much. Just an example, read through Gone With the Wind, the young people expect a lot too, they want to dress nicely and go to party. There is no difference between young people of that generation and young people today. All face peer pressure. Just that that generation pays more attention to dress and whatever. This generation pays more attention to handphone. The next generation of young people will expect different things. I dont know what, but I do know people never change. We working adults desire what our neighbours have, be it car or house or others, why should we expect young people to be content with what they have? The commandment in the ten commandments apply to everyone "Thou must not covet". Be it young or old, we must learn to live within our means, and hopefully way below our means.

Ya you are absolutely right young people expect and demend too much today .They dont have the sence of responsibilities and dont even think about the financial position of the family,the reason ,infact there may be many reasons and one of them is the upbringing of the youth and we parents are also responsible somewhere for this.As we always try to keep our children up to the mark ,admit them in good profile schools and give them every thing they demand when they are small and so they become habitual of all this,we must not give that much of liberties ,always teach them to maintain the balance between the income and the expenses,give them a piggy bank from their early age and put the habit of collecting the money not wasting it.

I definitely think young people expect too much. I'm a young person myself but there is no way that I act like half of the other young people that expect things to be handed to them. I know that many of them expect to have the newest this and the newest that and not have to work for it. It's sickening to see these young people getting everything handed to them by parents that have a problem saying no. What happened to the word no? I was told no all the time when I was a kid. I didn't get everything that I asked for. I think a lot of kids today never were told no and have always gotten everything they've wanted. This is why most of them feel like they are owed something and deserve something special.

I have children and I would give them what they needed or wanted if I could afford it. I do not have money so they know that they cannot expect too much from me except my love. Cheers!!

I think they expect a lot but I think they have a lot more to expect. When I was in high school, I was mad because my parents wouldn't get me a pager that cost $8 a month. They just didn't think I needed it. But cell phones weren't something average people had. Corporate executives had cell phones but they were the size of a brick. Who wanted to pack that around? As far as cars... I have seen a lot of situations where one kid works his butt off and earns enough money to make a down payment on a car and his peers don't realize that he paid for it, not his parents. They just see Johnny got a new car, why can't they have one too? Peer pressure is a rough thing, especially when they don't have all the details.

I think it is crazy how much young people expect now, but you can't blame a child for wanting the same things as their friends have got. It's a vicious circle of greed, but it's what they have been brought up with. I think most people now have such huge expectations of what they should have by rights. This attitude is going to make it very hard for them to cope with the economic crisis, because people are really going to have to cut down on the things that they have considered 'must have' items.

This is a two fold question, one you are correct the keeping up with jones in the school kids is expensive and highly competitive. The other part is like you said when you were growing you were happy with what you received, so you want more for your kids. The first peice is probably more the case as the parent wants the kids to have the latest and best becuase that is a reflection on the money and how they are providing as well. I have a 14 year old and her and friends destroy $200 ipods because they now they get an new one birthday/ chirstmas. They have all upgraded to itouches and they are now wanted the 32gb model or just switching to an iphone, it never ends.

Well, I totally understand your confuse. But I have to say as a young girl, though we expect a lot, we have our own principle. We love new things, we love taking risk, we love trying something different. But we have our standard to judge whether that is worthy. Maybe sometimes, these judges are stupid, but have you ever did something stupid when you were young?

You are absolutely right. I have noticed the same things. I have to say though, that I think television plays a huge part in this. I would not even know who Paris Hilton was or the kind of phone, dog, purse, etc... that she has if I had not seen it on television. I was lucky to get a car and a allowance. I was grateful for what I had and learned to be happy with it. Your post reminds me of a song, I am not sure who sings it or what the name of it is, but it talks about how we got drinks from the water hose when we got thirsty. I think it is sung by one of the contestants from American Idol. Those are the days I remember and loved. There used to be no need to buy bottled water!

To ur topic,my answer is yes. In China,as a college student,i always want more stuffs than i can afford ,such as the cellphone, jeans, clothes and notebook,etc. According to this, i constantly to ask my parents for money to buy them , fortunately, if my mother had not accepted my ask ,i would not be mad. Maybe it is the reason why people will grow up both the body and the psychology.

I think young people do expect a lot these days. When the parents give them A, they expect B, when they get C, they expect D and so on. Just like my sister, my mom bought her a brand new up-to-date cell phone, then she expects a guitar, after that, she expects an oven etc... It is really not good for them, when they wamt stuff everytime, they expect they could reach the purpose - they are spoiled!

I believe in today's society children are way too spoiled! A lot of it is to blame on the parents because they are the authority over their children. Now you see more parents not wanting to discipline their children and instead want to be their best friend. I know that all parents are not this way, but the ones that are do not help the ones that are trying to raise their children with discipline and respect. Instead, children go to school and see all these other children getting what they want which only causes them to also want things they probably do not need. I agree with them needing things for emergencies and when they get their license something to get around in that is reliable, but not brand-new. Children that are given everything will never learn to appreciate it. I learned at a young age that when you have to work for what you get you truly appreciate it.

Everyone has different experiences. Some good and some bad, I know young people are more aggressive and they are expecting more from there life. But still they are also thinking a lot also. They are even progressing in there life. Have a nice life ahead Bye

I think there is an argument for both sides on this one: For one I do agree, kids expect alot in this day and age, the newest phone, brand name clothes, etc etc. I used to be just like that, now im just as content wearing a shirt from walmart that only cost me $10.00 compared to a brandname that would have cost me $50.00. I think on one end it could be the parents fault, after all some kids are spoiled. But its also the times we live in, you cant watch tv for more than 5 mins without seeing a commercial for the newest greatest invention. Now as far as parents buying things like the newest car, I think you will hear the argument alot about the fact that yes they could buy a 10 year old car but then there is the greater chances of it breaking down and all the repairs it may require.

The kids today are the product of being raised in an economic boom. Permissive parents were able to give their kids everything they ever asked for and even fairly strict parents often had the economic freedom to be fairly generous with their kids. Kids today are in general used to being able to get all of their necessities without a struggle... NEEDS did not very often go unmet. Wants were pretty easily attainable as well and much easier for a parent to say yes to when it seemed like the income flow would be pretty constant. Of course it all goes back to parenting style, but generally speaking...STUFF has been a very prevalent thing in the 80's, 90's and 00's (until now, we are just a bit tighter belted now) My kids are a bit of the exception. They do not have cell phones and will not have until they have an actual need for one. So texting distraction, text bullying and superfluous distracting phone conversation have never been an issue. Our kids will have what we have for driving (they will share our vehicles) until they can afford something of their own. Our kids study and do their homework first BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. We have several computers, but no separate gaming system. You can put games on to a computer, so the kids (while they think games are fun) know that owning an entire separate system just for games is a bit over the top. Our kids are encouraged to play outside... alot. Dirt washes off and the experiences they have outside ignite a curiosity for learning like NOTHING else. While we benefitted from the econominc boom, we tried very hard not to let it spoil either US or our children. It's easier to be content with less if you start out that way!

Yes young generation expect very much nowadays. They are blind to recession. They don't think of their parents financial problem. They keep on crying for every single thing they want. They want the best things.