Thats the difference today though. My wife's grandmother was locked in a cellar as a form of punishment, not that I agree with that at all, but today the parent has to fear the "man" as there is a very thin line between abuse and discipline. parents have lost the ability to discipline their children the way a situation calls for. Children know this today and don't have the fear that kids once had of getting into trouble.

We have all girls and the biggest problems we had was curfew! We gave them a time and if they weren't home by that time the doors would be locked and they would have to sleep elsewhere.  Well, that didn't last to long....they ended up following our curfew.

I remember way back when the curfew was 9:00pm and the sirens would go off warning you to go home.  When we were younger we ran everywhere didn't have to worry about being picked up by someone or killed by some deranged neirbor.  I don't know when or where things started to go wrong or even why.

I think kids today have enough freedom, at least I let my children do pretty much what they wanted, but with rules. I think if I had boys I wouldn't be here today...to much drama I think with boys.

When you talk about psychotropic drugs,I think you are right. The doctors now days are really free with giving out Ritialn, Lithium and the list goes on. I have never seen so many depressed and out of control children. Not in our days, i can't recall one kid on medication for depression or A.D.D.  Why now? Are u saying video games, t.v. and the internet causes this?

I agree with the peer pressure there is alot of it in schools today, that definetely causes problems with kids. I can remember when we were in school, kids wore hand me downs and nothing was said because just about everyone wore the same thing. But today, clothes and shoes are a big issues with kids and the ones who can't afford it really suffer at the hands of the "richer" kids.

I don't know...but I just hope the next generation has bigger changes.

INOU

Well the good ole days momma stayed home, that time is gone. Children have learned that money comes first even before family as parents are to busy taking care of paying bills instead of their children. The family structure has all but disappeared and the ones that still have the family structure at home are the youth that do excel in life.  Laws have changed and the youth today have no motivation to work as you do or did. Today children are taught that money and material things are what is important as you pointed out that kids today seem to have everything.  Laws surrounding child support and visitation proves that even more. Non- custodial parents have an obligation to provide support but no laws are in place to protect a non-custodial parents right to be morally responsible for their children, just finical. Having this and that is more related to technology than it is children being handed this and that. Point is that me being 29 do not see a bright future for  my children. I see everyone wearing O2 so we can breath. I also see the violence that is portrayed on T.V and in video games as having an influence on children more than you will ever know. My understanding of that came two nights ago while I was watching A&E'S classroom series on the war in Iraq when a solider stated that it is like a video game until you see the wounded. Also when the youth is targeted by the older generation as being the problem, as it happens today, they will rebel thats a given. Times have changed and this nation of Laws is to blame for the children's behaviour. Children want to have true freedom not controlled behaviour as the laws force people to do.
As you stated you had a couple of channel's on an old black and white T.V you don't think that compairing the old days is related. Just look at the cartoons today even compaired to when I was a child. I saw roadrunner getting hit on the head with boulders not being shot and stabbed like today. I was speaking to my grandfather today about this very topic. Here is the kicker. He bought his home for $8000.00 back in 46 he bought his first car around that time to for $1500.00 brand new. That was allot of money back then but when you compair today to then you know a good home is gonna be $100,000.00 a new car is gonna be $25,000.00 Now adays it takes both parents to pay the bills where back then more than likely it was one. Where the rate of pay has not increased with the rest of the costs. Children do not see the same opportunities as allot of folks had in their day. Children view the idea of working for their money as being pointless when you look at the fact that most kids are gonna make $6.00 an hour. Now just how far is that six dollars an hour going to last. Then you can go to college spend an other $100,000 for a 4 year degree to come out and not have company's want to pay what you are worth. Kinda like the immigration issues employers claim they cant find cheap labor here, but look at the reasons why they can't. Kids know that they can make more money stealing and dealing drugs in one day than a whole month worth of work. When employers want to pay you next to nothing yet charge an arm and a leg for their services. The problem is related to economics. Children today do not have respect for the older generation because the youth have allot more information at their fingertips than you had. They have an understanding that this world sucks and so does this country as true freedom does not exist. Freedom is not just getting to go where you want to freedom is having the ability to make your own choices not being told that this and that is wrong. Children learn from actions today. This country is teaching children to be violent as this war is a great example of that.

nope!