For grandparents of today, what differences, good and bad, do you find today?
By nanajanet
@nanajanet (4436)
United States
May 20, 2008 4:48pm CST
I am a teacher, for close to 40 years, a parent of two and a grandparent. The differences in child-rearing these days are not always to my taste. I find many kids are not being "raised" but are entertained, given too many things, not taught respect or responsibility, to the extent of when I was younger.
Yes, there are still well-raised children out there, but it seems less and less these days.
Your thoughts?
2 responses
@dragonfly242 (1060)
• Bahamas
21 May 08
Hi nana.
Unfortunatly you are right.I'm the mother of six and the grandmother of one. And you find it wherever you go nowadays.
I was just having a conversation with my friend the other day, and one of the things she said i found very interesting, was the fact that our children aren't being raised the way we were. I'm from a small island nation, and our parents thought nothing of whooping our butts for infractions unlike today. We where taught the importance of manners and respect, we had to address adults as ma'am and sir, there were no exceptions. We were also taught the importance of working for what you want, all the things that children take for granted these days we had to earn with hard work. And doing your part was not something you were praised for,it was something that was expected.
But hey the way we were raised would be labled as abuse today. It worked for me, and it'll have to work for my children, because thats the way i'm raising them.
1 person likes this
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
21 May 08
One thing that amazes me is the many kids have no chores, are not expected to contribute in any way to the family, and the parents make their whole life about the kids, rather than the family. Since when were the kids the center of the family? Wasn't it always the parents?
I got my butt whooped a few times, my mouth washed out with soap for telling my grandmother to "shut up", went to bed without dinner a couple of times and when another adult disciplined me, my parents respected that, rather than attacking the adult. I have had parents of my students tell me that I had some nerve disciplining their kids. WHAT?!
Kids don't have free time to play and just be kids. Their lives are scheduled from waking to bedtime. It's sad.
@nzinky (822)
• United States
20 May 08
I agree with you whole heartedly...I remember when my grandchildren were going up and lived near me....I went to the school with their parnets and attended PTA meetings, anytime they had a problem with the children all they had to say was I'm going to call your Grandmother and they soon straightened up..
They knew that if they were right I would go to fight for them but if they were wrong then they were in big trouble.....
Kids now days don't have the guidence as they did when we were growing up..Both parnets are working some times 2 or 3 jobs and a lot of families don't have the support of Grandparnets not living in the same area as their grandchildren....
Kids have to be taught how to respect others and their things.......Yes they are given too much but I think a lot of it is guilt from their parnets by not being there when they were growing up..
