young parents irresponsible?

[Fengzi]

in todays society we have lost the value, foundation, and respect when it comes to our children that prevents them from assuming the responsibility that at one point would be given to a child at that age. Whether we hold it back or they fuck it up, the children of this society are no longer though capible of handling such. There was a time where children did the workings of the family and household while parents provided for and guilded them. Children cooked, cleaned, raised other children, and educated eachother effectively because it was a way of life, now chances are an adult in their early twentys can't manage the lifeload that a 10year old in the past once dilivered upon. Anyways we've created the downfall of society which is currently degenerating and we are letting it run with out any resistence.

Agreed!

Children in North American pioneer days were expected to do adult tasks - and usually did. One of my 4th great grandfathers, when he was thirteen, drove a wagon filled with his families' goods and belongings, pulled by oxen, solo through the wilderness of the Catskill mountains, because his parents and the rest of the family, including young children, were able to take an easier route. They started in Massachusetts. This boy was only about 13 years old at the time - the 1780's. I couldn't do something like that today!

I think the big thing is that each generation wants a better life for their children. But we have reached a point where life is pretty comfortable for all but the most destitute. At least compared to the lives of those 3+ generations back. While this ideal is not neccessarily a bad thing, the problem is that we have run out of things to honestly make their lives "better". So, we start to look to anything that made us slightly uncomfortable. As such, we as a society have begun to coddle our children to the point they are helpless. Yes, providing a better life for a child is a good thing but sometimes, in order to learn, we need to suffer.

A perfect example of this is the way education is handled these days, at least here in California. Teachers no longer fail kids who don't make the grade. Apparently someone, somewhere determined that it is bad for their self confidence. As a result, what qualifies as a "D" has a lower standard than it did in the past, and therefore what qualifies as a "C", "B", and "A" are all lower. I recently read an article that stated that close to 50% of incomming students to the California State University system needed remedial math and english. In other words they were not prepared for college level work. Yet they all had at least a B average from their high schools. How is this? Why does a child who has earned at least a B need remedial classes? Because a B doesn't mean shit anymore, that's why. Because getting an F in something might hurt poor little Dick's, or Jane's, self confidence. Well, what happens to their self confidence after high school when they are unprepared for reality? Why don't more people think of that?