Liz and I have a 25 year old neice whose life has been a bit of a mess for the last 5 to 7 years. She can't decide what she wants to do with herself, can't save any money, can't seem to get settled, and refuses to take any advice and to listen to any suggestions. She married on a whim, has bought and wrecked two brand new cars in two years, and is in debt way over her head.

We also have a 16 year old son, who is a typical teenager. We don't seem to understand half of the things he says, we can't seem to motivate him to get a summer job, and oftentimes seem to be living in a different universe. He's doing well in school, and is reasonably well behaved, but isn't as motivated or aggressive as we expected or would like.

The other day we (Liz and I) were talking and the conversation wound around to this generation of teenagers and young adults. Liz said, "I've never seen anything like this generation. No motivation, no drive, they don't think and they're lazy. Its hard to understand them when they talk, and some of the music is god-awful I've written off this generation." I looked at her and said, "When did you become your mother? When did you become my mother?" Not in an argumentative way, but in a way to suggest that she was sounding very much like what we used to think of as the "older" generation. And to suggest some of what she said was exactly what our parents said about us.

For the next two hours we talked about this generation of young people. She contended that they are very different than any generation that came before for the reasons that I've already stated. I contended that I didn't think so. That as a matter of fact, I think this generation is very much like the three or four that preceeded them. I think that in the long run there really won't be much difference. I thought that some had drive, some didn't. Some were smart, some weren't. Some will be resounding successes and some will fail. Just as before, and probably in almost the same proportion.

I suppose we are both right to a certain degree. Both of us see things that surprise and amaze us in today's youth. Both of us, on the other hand, know, that many will turn out fine.

It is an interesting conversation. What do you think? What is your opinion?

 

Rob... you bring up a good point. Each generation thinks that their successors aren't doing as well as they did, but you have to look at it from the other side as well. The successors feel that they can do a much better job than those who came before them.

The definitive marks of each generation may be different, but the attitudes are always the same. Each generation feels that they are living/have lived their lives better than the others.

Sorry if I'm not being very eloquent in my speech here.

 

I've got no children so I'm full of advice.

I am constantly chiding people at work when they break out with one of those "kids these days" speeches. I remind them that our parents were saying the same thing about the summer of love generation. I had my moments as a sullen teenager who embarrassed his parents by having shoulder length hair. We coined our own language with phrases like far out, right on, groovy. To say nothing of the open use and glorification of illegal drugs.

Jeez, that generation lived in communes, started head shops, travelled around in old school buses. But the fact is those were probably the minority of people that age. They are just the ones that got all the publicity and so "defined" the generation.

From my perspective each generation IS different because the times are different and they have to adjust to the current culture. But in relation to each other, as you said, some will succeed, some will fail. That will never change.

I will only despair if disco music is revived.

 

I always have an opinion about the rearing of our offspring, however, I will hold my tongue in this forum as I am, but a mere 37 years old.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ralper
Liz and I have a 25 year old neice whose life has been a bit of a mess for the last 5 to 7

 

I contend that this is an incorrect statement.

You stated this occurred as a teenager. In turn, I made the assumption that you were still residing under their roof. If your parents did not condone a longer hairstyle, yet allowed you to wear it this way, then did they not embarrass themselves?

It is ironic that I found this thread. How? One, I NEVER check this forum. Two, I was just in discussion about our youth/prior youth and how society judges each the other day. "Kids" go ballistic, and we blame society. We ARE society. Our parents were society. Their parents were society. The fact of the matter is that everything starts in the home- good or bad. Some folks would have us believe that dual incomes are downright necessary. Hogwash! They may be necessary to live better than we did as children, but not necessary to live(in a material context, of course).

In a few minutes, I'll probably delete this post, not because of error of content. Afterall, an opinion cannot be wrong as it is only an opinion. No, it will most likely be deleted because I have no beef with those who see/do things differently until it affects my family or me. And in that sense, I'd hate to incite a riot against the "younger" generation(me!).

 

RED MX5- Bravo!

 

I don't believe that's accurate. After the Great Depression, America had great optimism, and every parent felt that their children would have a better education and a better life than they'd had. This optimism remained strong until 1957, when Sputnik was launched. However, we recovered our national pride rapidly, and up until the 60's, most parents still thought that their kids would have a better life, and live it in a better world. The same was true PRIOR to the Great Depression, so that was just an interruption in what has been a part of the American Dream. It is a part of that dream that seems to have died in the 60's when enough kids got enough education to figure out that a future that gets brighter and brighter forever is unrealistic. We started worrying about future generations, not just our kids, but our childrens childrens children. Somewhere along the way the majority of the people in this country lost interest in the education and moral upbringing of their kids, and today many (if not most) young parents do not expect to give their kids a better life than they had.

What you say has been true since some time in the 60's, but it wasn't true before then. One of may things that have changed in ways that seem irreversible.

RED

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FF2Skip

 

Got kid problems? Send them over to Uncle Wantone's... I'll straighten them out