Do you think kids today are spoiled?

[.Andy]

As to my sister, I was just sighting example of the way you think that it is a fallacy and an unfair, underground stereotype.

If I had led anyone to believe that I am lumping all kids into what I say than I am wrong. But I do see a good portion that strike me to what my opinion is. I don't appreciate the way you are trying to basically demonize me for my opinions by saying I'm better than anyone else or somehow above society.

I'm not demonising anyone. Just pointing out haw sanctimonious you are coming across. In this thread you've berated the following peoples as being over-entitled and having a lack of personal responsibility:
* kids.
* "adults" in general.
* your sister.
As well as openly posting about your own personal responsibility. This is my point. People of all generations berate teenagers (amongst other groups i.e. siblings and peers) to inflate their own importance or ethics or morality. I do it. We all do it. And sometimes it feeds our perceptions.

opinion

This has to be the most vacuous way to defend a point in a discussion. Is there something about an "opinion" that makes it above scrutiny?

 

[jonbravo77]

I'm not demonising anyone. Just pointing out haw sanctimonious you are coming across. In this thread you've berated the following peoples as being over-entitled and having a lack of personal responsibility:
* kids.
* "adults" in general.
* your sister.
As well as openly posting about your own personal responsibility. This is my point. People of all generations berate teenagers (amongst other groups i.e. siblings and peers) to inflate their own importance or ethics or morality.


This has to be the most vacuous way to defend a point in a discussion. Is there something about an "opinion" that makes it above scrutiny?

Like I said. I agree to dis-agree.

 

[.Andy]

Like I said. I agree to dis-agree.

I thought you were done with out little tête-à-tête !

edit: Perhaps this is what's wrong with our generation. We're too opinionated and don't know when to shut up ! I know I can't help myself !

 

[jonbravo77]

I thought you were done with out little tête-à-tête !

edit: Perhaps this is what's wrong with our generation. We're too opinionated and don't know when to shut up ! I know I can't help myself !

Ya, neither can I....

 

[Schtumple]

I thought you were done with out little tête-à-tête !

edit: Perhaps this is what's wrong with our generation. We're too opinionated and don't know when to shut up ! I know I can't help myself !

pft, I blame the kids these days, never living up to our expectations

 

[ErikCLDR]

I think we're spoiled, but I think most previous generations of kids have been spoiled in some way. Its just that we have a lot more technology now and people seem to have more disposable income. As long as kids value what they have, recognize it as a blessing, work hard, and behave I don't think there is any issue with them having "stuff". On the other hand, I know children, and actually even teenagers when they don't get their way they have a hissy fit, and that is a parents fault for being indulgent on a kid that is irresponsible and unappreciative.

If a child is spoiled, its the parents fault. A child does not have the income to spoil himself/herself. Therefore, its the adults we have to blame

I know I am spoiled, but I value what I have and I know that most people in the world aren't as fortunate. My parents bought me a Land Rover, they pay to fix it, they put the gas in it, but I keep up my end. I get good grades, stay out of trouble, I'm responsible, I value that I have a car, I take care of it- keep it clean, drive it nicely, wash it weekly.

There are other kids though that get cars, like BMW's, Mercedes, Lexus', and new Volvos, VW's, etc and clearly don't care about them. I know kids in my school with very nice cars that just pile garbage in them, drive like they are driving a race car, and then smoke in it.

Then there are kids that talk about how bad my school is. Alright, first off we are basically among the top 5 schools in state standardized testing. We are rated the #3 school in Connecticut which supposedly has very good education programs compared to other places. The school was renovated not very long ago. Our school can afford sports teams, books, computers, smartboards in every classroom, and other technology. A lot of kids are just unappreciative. Maybe it takes them a longer to understand how much things cost and how other people live.

 

[dilbert4life]

Yes. Yes they are.

 

[0098386]

In some cases. But I live in a fairly middleclass area anyways. I see very young kids out with expensive iPods that even I can't afford and phones that are quite needless (I appreciate that folk like their phones to have features, but internet on a phone for an 8 year old?).

Meh. Let them be spoiled. They're the ones who turn to drink and drugs once they're out of their parents place.

 

[anim8or]

I am 24 and work my ass off to afford my mortgage and live a life instead of surviving....

...when i see that people that were six or seven years below me at school are now living next door to me and driving nicer cars it sickens me.

My parents wouldn't dream of buying me a car or a house... admittedly they help me out alot and they can afford to do more but they don't and i am glad they dont as it has made me value every penny i get.... i wish i had a photo of my huge coke bottle full of pennies to illustrate my point!

I put it down to the fact that this generation of children are spawned from a generation that didnt feel the pinch at all or just missed it.....

My parents worked hard for their money so working hard seems to rub off on me and my brother.... whereas most young parents today work hard but haven't suffered as much hardship thus breeding a generation of spoiled brats who think they can have whatever they want in life with very little work.

 

[Melrose]

Yes, I do - at least to a very large degree.

I had to pay for my first car - it was not a gift for graduating - I had to pay for my own insurance, buy my own clothes, contribute to the family expenditures (whilst I had a job), etc etc. If I couldn't afford it I didn't get a car.

I'm not saying that providing a vehicle for kids is wrong, but there has to be some point where they have to learn to take responsibility for stuff. There are so many teenagers around where I live that have the latest sports cars - and then proceed to drive drunk or at least speed or run red lights. If they have to pay for it out of pocket they learn to appreciate it more I think.

m2c.

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

You should understand that what is said on topics such as this that what ppl say is out of opinion. I apologise if I failed to express that what I say is opinion. And I do realize that what you say is opinion as well.

I wanted to respond to this because it's one of my pet peeves. Not out of debate, but just to point it out...

This is NOT an opinion. A belief, yes, but an opinion is a belief about something that cannot be proven right or wrong. Kids today are either less responsible than kids of the olden days or they aren't. Just because we can't demonstrate it one way or another now does not mean it's an opinion. Just pointing out semantics

Edit:

Meh. Let them be spoiled. They're the ones who turn to drink and drugs once they're out of their parents place.

Erm, what? I'm pretty sure that's seen mostly in kids coming from trashy homes with parents who don't give a **** more than spoiled rich kids...

 

[0098386]

Erm, what? I'm pretty sure that's seen mostly in kids coming from trashy homes with parents who don't give a **** more than spoiled rich kids...

Partly. At my school it was the spoiled kids and those from "broken families" who were the most messed up. Even locally, 10 years later the most successful folk I know were those brought up on nothing. Having no money myself was probably the best thing for me, I never wanted to be poor again and worked hard to stay away from it.

It's all just personal experience from the neck of my little town but *shrugs*.

 

[.Andy]

...when i see that people that were six or seven years below me at school are now living next door to me and driving nicer cars it sickens me.

So it comes down to jealousy. People will always have a nicer car than you. Get used to that in life. No matter how hard you work. Best thing to do is be happy with your lot. If other people's possessions seriously sicken you you're going to have a very unhappy life.

There are so many teenagers around where I live that have the latest sports cars - and then proceed to drive drunk or at least speed or run red lights. If they have to pay for it out of pocket they learn to appreciate it more I think.

This paragraph is pure fiction to get yourself worked up! You can't seriously be telling us that there's a so many (a made up unquantifiable number) teenagers drinking underage and violating the road rules in the latest sports cars and that you can tell by looking at them that they didn't pay for their car !


As I was saying before berating teenagers is just a way for us to feel better and righteous about ourselves. Every generation has done it. If it wasn't this thread wouldn't be half filled with people banging on about how hard they've worked, how responsible they are, and how hard their parents did it:

My parents wouldn't dream of buying me a car or a house... admittedly they help me out alot and they can afford to do more but they don't and i am glad they dont as it has made me value every penny i get.... i wish i had a photo of my huge coke bottle full of pennies to illustrate my point!

My parents worked hard for their money so working hard seems to rub off on me and my brother.... whereas most young parents today work hard but haven't suffered as much hardship thus breeding a generation of spoiled brats who think they can have whatever they want in life with very little work.

I had to pay for my first car - it was not a gift for graduating - I had to pay for my own insurance, buy my own clothes, contribute to the family expenditures (whilst I had a job), etc etc. If I couldn't afford it I didn't get a car.

 

[dukebound85]

Yes, I do - at least to a very large degree.

I had to pay for my first car - it was not a gift for graduating - I had to pay for my own insurance, buy my own clothes, contribute to the family expenditures (whilst I had a job), etc etc. If I couldn't afford it I didn't get a car.

I'm not saying that providing a vehicle for kids is wrong, but there has to be some point where they have to learn to take responsibility for stuff. There are so many teenagers around where I live that have the latest sports cars - and then proceed to drive drunk or at least speed or run red lights. If they have to pay for it out of pocket they learn to appreciate it more I think.

m2c.

good for you.

but please tell me how that behavior is limited to this generation lol

also why do you stereotype all kids today as having cars, the latest sports cars apparently, bought for them and then drive drunk? seriously that is so ignorant of the reality its almost humourous. many kids do not have cars,phones, etc just given to them ok. some do yes but that is the case with every generation.

i will say i also find it amusing that the same people who make these broad stereotypes are also the ones to say they have to work for everything in the next breath almost as if they have to imply they are on a somewhat higher ground. give it a rest please. not just you, but it is something i have noticed in this thread that i think needs to stop

 

[twistedlegato]

Yes there are spoiled kids, and there are kids who have nice things that don't necessarily show they off to the whole world!


I'm turning 15 soon, and i have a Macbook, iPod classic, and a normal cell phone. I feel completely privileged to owns these items. I don't show them off to the world, making everyone bow down to me because i have a Macbook.

My parents rule is that if i do well in school, good things will come out of it. I consistently do well in school, but i know if i started slacking all my "fun" possessions and rights would be taken away. I feel it's a far trade.

Older generations that see every single kid with "nice" things and assumes they are spoiled are just not seeing the whole picture.

 

[ErikCLDR]

Edit:

Erm, what? I'm pretty sure that's seen mostly in kids coming from trashy homes with parents who don't give a **** more than spoiled rich kids...

I disagree, sure there are plenty of teenagers from broken "trashy" families that turn to drugs. But there are also plenty of kids from wealthy families that turn to drugs.

 

[Melrose]

Oh dear. I'm not getting drawn into another one of these... say what you will I'm done.

 

[ErikCLDR]

Oh dear. I'm not getting drawn into another one of these... say what you will I'm done.

Yea I am willing to bet this will end up in the wasteland somehow.

 

[Mousse]

I'd bet that what you don't like in the children you see is the result of bad parenting.

I know many good children, and it's quite clear that they have good parents behind them.

The first sensible post in the thread. I hear from people all the time, "Your so lucky to have a well behaved daughter." [rant] Lucky my @--. Years of busting my butt training her is why she's well behaved and not spoiled. I've seen so called parents who's kids are acting up tell them to stop. When the kid doesn't stop, they do nothing. NOTHING. WTF? I wanted to jump up, do a one-two shut-the-hell-up on the kid and slap five across the eyes of the parents.[/rant]

 

[Blue Velvet]

Yea I am willing to bet this will end up in the wasteland somehow.

I wanted to jump up, do a one-two shut-the-hell-up on the kid and slap five across the eyes of the parents.[/rant]

Yes... yes, you're all spoiled. Now brush your teeth, say your prayers and go to bed.

 

[me_94501]

Heh; to think that I had to come up with a reason aside from "I want it" to buy myself an iPhone.

I don't know if "spoiled" is the word, but there does seem to be more of an emphasis on having stuff than there was 50 years ago. Is it really parents spoiling their kids more or is it as CalBoy said that a lot of stuff is merely more accessible? My guess is that it's a little bit of both.

My parents rule is that if i do well in school, good things will come out of it. I consistently do well in school, but i know if i started slacking all my "fun" possessions and rights would be taken away. I feel it's a far trade.

Agreed; I'd say it's a fair trade too. On the other hand, I've seen where parents let their kids get away with anything and they don't penalize the kids in any meaningful way.

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

I disagree, sure there are plenty of teenagers from broken "trashy" families that turn to drugs. But there are also plenty of kids from wealthy families that turn to drugs.

Oh, yes. I wasn't insinuating that all people from trashy homes turn to drugs, or that no rich people do. It's certainly a nice varied array of people. I mean, just look at all the celebrities doing drugs.

The first sensible post in the thread. I hear from people all the time, "Your so lucky to have a well behaved daughter." [rant] Lucky my @--. Years of busting my butt training her is why she's well behaved and not spoiled. I've seen so called parents who's kids are acting up tell them to stop. When the kid doesn't stop, they do nothing. NOTHING. WTF? I wanted to jump up, do a one-two shut-the-hell-up on the kid and slap five across the eyes of the parents.[/rant]

Nice Maddox reference.

 

[uiop.]

I'm trying not to get too involved in this conversation because I'm just a kid, and my opinion doesn't matter. Yeah, yeah I get it.

I'm 15. My parents purchased me a $2400 MacBook Pro in May...I was beyond happy with it. I then sold it and upgraded to the new MacBook Pro last month, the difference will be paid by myself. I maintain a GPA of 3.7+ regularly, I have an iPhone 3G as a result. My sister is living free of monthly rent in Manhattan as a full-time chef, my other is attending Purdue University, completely free of charge to her. My dad emphasizes work ethics to an extreme, by no means am I "lazy" nor do I expect things to be given to me. I've seen his success in his businesses, and I strive to live up to him one day.

My question is this. When you "older" folk (I can't believe there are 18 year olds ranting about "kids" in this thread.) were younger and your parents had the resources to pay for your stuff, would you have accepted it? I highly doubt you would have said "No mom, I don't think I should have that, let me do some more chores first." I think not. If your parents can pay for your college education, would you not accept it? If your parents buy you a new BMW, are you going to make them return it to the dealer?

</end thought, kids say the darndest things>

 

[wbe858]

I agree i look at my sister who is 6 years younger than me (15) and she really does get almost anything she wants from my father..now i will say he is a bit more successful now than he was when i was in his house but you would think he would retain some of the same buying habits he had when i was there. But this is not so, an example is for christmas a year ago she got a fully loaded whitebook and i looked and my jaw just dropped. Apparently she had been asking for it for a while now, and i can imagine if i would have asked for a $1400 gift for anything....he would have laughed so hard and tell me to wake up. Now the only thing i did get was the hand me down car...a jeep cherokee which i still have going strong 230,000 miles on it. My sister and my dad were looking up cars with a price of up $15,000!!! IMO i have decent money skills and a good job for my age and finishing up school. The thing i worry about is my sis whens he gets out to the world without dad will she be able to handle it without daddy coming to help..idk i hope she does but honestly its not looking to bright. So with all these "spoiled" kids going into the world i wish you luck.
-End rant

 

[CalBoy]

I agree i look at my sister who is 6 years younger than me (15) and she really does get almost anything she wants from my father..now i will say he is a bit more successful now than he was when i was in his house but you would think he would retain some of the same buying habits he had when i was there.

A bit of a parallel with me actually. My sister is 9 years older than me, and she made the exact same complaint when I was young and had more toys than she did at my age.

Like your parents, mine had more money to spend when I was 8 or 9 than when she was 8 or 9. In that case, I think that my sister's complaint and yours are rather the same, and they can be readily summed up as follows:

So it comes down to jealousy.

The first sensible post in the thread.

It happens from time to time. I assure you it wasn't intentional.

I hear from people all the time, "Your so lucky to have a well behaved daughter." [rant] Lucky my @--. Years of busting my butt training her is why she's well behaved and not spoiled. I've seen so called parents who's kids are acting up tell them to stop. When the kid doesn't stop, they do nothing. NOTHING. WTF? I wanted to jump up, do a one-two shut-the-hell-up on the kid and slap five across the eyes of the parents.[/rant]

I work with children (4th, 5th, and 6th graders), and nothing makes me more upset than a parent who has surrendered themselves to the will of their child.

Your kid wants cookies and starts a fit in the grocery store? Leave your things and walk away. They'll stop crying in 2 minutes. Guaranteed.

At the park and your child can't stop throwing a tantrum? Hug them real tight until their excess energy has been spent.

Like you said, parenting should be viewed as an investment; it's hard initially, but the payoff is incredible.