[In response to discussion regarding the behaviors of children in today's society. The discussion was spurred by the article involving the group of 3rd grade children that had conspired to attack their teacher.]

It’s a simple matter of a balance of fear, and repercussions….kids today have nothing to fear anymore.

Look at it objectively…kids can literally get away with murder. They can divorce their parents, or call protective services any time they don’t get dessert with dinner, and it’s the parents that get grilled. Even if they figure out it was the kid at fault, what really can they do to them? Nada, and the kids know this.

Kids also know that they can not only disobey, disrespect, and ignore their teachers, but they can also threaten and attack them, as the teachers cannot do anything to them, nor can they protect themselves for fear of litigation. Kids figured that out a long time ago, folks.

Kids aren’t afraid of anything anymore, because they know there really isn’t any repercussion for what they do. Adults, however, have to live in the constant fear of litigation, potential legal punishment, public scorn, should they do ANYthing to get the kids back into line.

Kids aren’t even afraid of law enforcement anymore because they know the justice system will take the “precious little angles that just need love” approach and they’ll get off with less than a slap on the hand.

Kids KNOW that the counseling and psychiatric community have imposed their “delicate little snowflake” mentality on everyone, so much so that everyone is afraid of wounding their inner child. *NEWSFLASH*……they don’t have an inner child yet, because they are still children themselves! Protecting an abstract concept in favor of properly guiding, disciplining, and teaching a child is abject nonsense.

The simple fact is that children learn and grow through testing boundaries, and this country has all but eliminated them. Yet, people are shocked when kids act out like this, thinking it must be something in the water. It isn’t…..it’s an amalgamation of things:

-The misinterpretation that children must be coddled at all costs as if they’re somehow the next savior….they aren’t…..they crap their pants, eat their boogers, play in mud, and generally act like idiots just like we did when we were kids. We’re animals’ folks…with higher cognitive capabilities, but animals, nonetheless.

- A legal system that has effectively taken away the ability of a parent to discipline or rein their children in when they need it, and have provided no substitute in exchange. Oh, and before anyone out there suggests that I’m all about beating the hell out of a child….stow it…I’m not saying take a bat to a kid….but I’m sure as hell saying that children can be taught that there is a price to be paid for behavior that’s over the line. A spanked ass is just that….a spanked ass…people that make it out to be more than it is are simpering turds. I have yet to find the human being that has suffered deep emotional scarring due to a spanking…not a beating….a spanking.

- An educational system that has gelded its instructors to the point that they fear for their lives. I won’t digress into the “when I was a kid” speech, but there was a time when teachers had the authority to handle a situation, and didn’t have to fear litigation or dismissal after the fact if it was warranted. Granted, there are always those examples of teachers that go too far…beating a child with an umbrella, for example…is inexcusable. I will add an exception to this area. If a child has taken it upon themselves to attack a teacher, then I say “game on”. No human being has the right to attack another one, regardless of age, and if the victim of the attack has the means to defend themselves, then they should. Teachers idly standing by while a student throws a desk at them, flies in the face of natural selection. If I were the instructor, and had a desk hurled my way, that kid would be knocked on his ass…and the legal, media, psychological, and educational communities should applaud their teachers for defending themselves, instead of punishing them for potentially upsetting the ‘delicate little snowflake’. If a kid can’t respect his fellow students enough to allow them to learn, and try to learn themselves, then a teacher should have every right to kick them out of class until they straighten up. Teachers shouldn’t be held hostage because they’re afraid of insulting the parents by sending little Bobby home. People actually have the gall to wonder why there aren’t enough qualified teachers out there anymore….who the hell would want the job? We take a motivated, driven, young teacher, and then place the equivalent of a gag and handcuffs on them, and tell them to go forth and make a difference….we’re a nation of retards.

- Educational standards need to be reexamined and raised back up to the point that schools actually produce contributing members of society. The constant lowering of passing scores to artificially inflate the graduation rate of schools in this country is a disservice to everyone….EVERYONE. If little Bobby can’t pass an exam, then little Bobby needs to study harder, have his parents help him more, ASK for help from his teacher whom he’s supposed to respect, not attack…and after all that, if Bobby still can’t pass, he should be held back until he can, not pressed through hoping society will somehow absorb his dumb ass. Schools need to have the balls to be able to tell parents once more that little Bobby is a dumb ass if that actually is the case. They don’t need to sugarcoat it and say that he’s “minimally exceptional”, so as to delude the parents into thinking that their kid is going to be the next Stephen Hawking. If you don’t believe any of this, look around you…..we have a president that can’t pronounce words of the English language properly…so much so, he’s known for making them up from time to time. To borrow a concept from another post here, we have a nation full of “id” based morons that have guided society into believing that socially unacceptable behavior is cool, and being stupid is just hunky dory.

Yes….I’m angry about all of this. Not only do I have to watch most of general society disintegrate this way, but I also get to watch my own extended family go down the same path. I have step-nieces and nephews that are in their teens that feel they know everything, so they don’t need school anymore, don’t need their parents anymore, and have decided to move in with whatever ‘tard they’re currently humping. I have friends that have had to pull their kids from school and home school them because the district they live in now teaches some form of math that has no wrong answers. 2+2 no longer just equals 4, but it can also equal 3 sticks and an apple, 2 caterpillars and a flower, or any other combination thereof. Hell, they even get half credit if they made ANY attempt whatsoever. Gotta make sure the kids pass, even if they don’t know ANYTHING.

Until there is a major sociological shift in this country that returns to more objective thinking, and the use of common sense (God forbid)…we will continue to produce uncontrollable, self absorbed, ignorant, retards that will eventually run everything as they will be the majority.

I swear, it’s only 7am, and I’m already as annoyed as I can get today. I don’t think there is enough caffeine in the vending machine to send me into a stimulant based euphoria to get me through the day.

(Authored by Tim - he has been on a roll as of late ~Kat)

It’s an odd feeling when as the child you know you’re parents are going away for an extended trip, where they will be less likely to communicate with you for a long period of time. It’s funny as I’ve grown up in some respects the roles have changed from parents/child to child parenting the parents.

My sisters and I have often lamented upon the fact that while our parents can’t help but parent us, we as adult children have certain expectations of our parents. When they take a long road trip, we wait for those phone calls letting us know they have arrived at certain points along the way safe and secure, when they fail to call the three of us will call each other and ask, “Have you heard from mom and dad lately?” My youngest sister, to alleviate the worry and stress, added my parents to her cell phone plan, purchased them phones with the understanding they would keep them on. I can hear you chuckling at the fact that you KNOW my parents do not leave their phones on nor will they answer them unless they are expecting our call. It’s very frustrating to say the least.

I recently called to talk to my girlfriend Dianne, and while she was not available, I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with her father. We discussed this whole phenomenon of children now parenting their parents. He said to me more than once, as I mentioned the things that parents do to us kids, such as not answering calls, not checking in, not turning on the cell phones etc, that as he put it “Its hard for us old timers to remember or even figure out these new gadgets.” We had a good laugh as he put things into perspective from the parental aspect for me.

My parents are leaving tomorrow for a three week cruise, going from Florida through the Panama Canal back to Washington with several stops along the way. After spending a week with them visiting me, my sisters and I have made sure they are well prepared for what will happen along the way. From obtaining a preloaded visa card, to making sure they have secure travel pouches for their passports, to making sure my sister Becky has documents, in the off chance someone steals their id, and so on, the parenting skills the three of us girls have learned from them over the years are all popping out.

They fly out tomorrow morning and I’ve already chided my mom for not packing already, to remember her toothbrush and make sure she has a prepaid phone card to call home.

I know they will have a wonderful time on this cruise and they will be stopping in the Los Angeles area, so I’ll have a few hour visit before they continue on, I can’t help worry about their safety. Funny how those tables have turned!

Have a wonderful day!

Kat