S
saucywench
This post was prompted by the thread begun by swamptoad regarding tough love vs. spanking. It didnt really fit there, most likely doesnt fit anywhere, but for some reason I felt compelled to express my thoughts (which arent entirely cohesive).
Disclaimer: Following are broad generalizations based on my own personal opinion.
It seems to me that, post-WWII, each generation has become more and more lax with regard to proper parenting that leads to producing a well-developed adult. The reasons for this are manifold.
(1)The WWII generation suffered through the Great Depression. They knew what it was like to live without. When the war ended, the GI Bill offered many of those a chance at the American Dream that in other circumstances they might not have had. They bought houses and had large families, and were eager to give their children all of the things that had not been made available to them. They produced the baby boomer generationroughly, 1946-1963. This period of time was idyllic in many sensesit was the age of innocence, pre-Kennedy assassination and all that that fateful day broughta harbinger of the cynicism that was to follow. It brought the advent of television and many modern conveniences. It was a time when there was still time to enjoy.
(2)The baby boomer generation is the largest generation ever produced and will remain so (due to improved medicine and thus an increase in mortality, among other things) for the greater part of most of our lives. Born during the height of the baby boomer generation, at 48, there are more people of my age who are living than any other age. Despite Americas obsession with youth, the baby boomer generation will always be the one most catered to, as they represent the largest bloc of consumers, from a capitalistic point of view. Some of these observations are irrelevant to my post but worth mentioning, regardless. Perhaps the relevance is that, for better or worse, this generations primary focus has been on itself. Thus, this generation has largely been me-focused, and the offspring of this generation have suffered because of it. It was also the age of the sexual revolution which, for better or worse, brought about a more permissive society and a relaxation of standards. Divorce was no longer a stigmait became commonplace. The word pregnant was now being said on the air, and Lucy and Ricky, Mary and Rob, were no longer forced to sleep in single beds. It also brought about the first time in history where drug use, if not condoned outright, was certainly widespread and a part of the culture. All of these factors, in addition to others, influenced parenting, in what I view are mostly unfavorable ways (YMMV).
(3)Despite the fact that technology has advanced beyond what many could have imagined, modern conveniences do not necessarily make our lives easier. It could be argued that they make them even more stressful. The development of PCs and other associated workplace technologies allow us to be more productive, yes, but concurrently they also allow even more work to be placed upon us. This produces more stress than was ever before experienced in the workplace. Economic conditions are such that stay-at-home moms have become increasingly rare; that arrangement for the most part is considered a luxury. The cultural acceptance of divorce and out-of-wedlock births has lead to single-parent families being commonplace. Many of these single parents are forced to undertake multiple jobs simply in order to pay for the necessities of life. So, whether a parent is married or single, far too much time is spent out of the home, leaving little time (or energy, or patience) to raise children to become those well-developed adults, and latchkey kids are commonplace. How many children do you witness who actually play outside any moresimple childhood games? Whereas television became the first opiate for children, offering a cheap method for babysitting, it has nearly become surpassed (I dont know the statistics, sorry) by video games. Children left unsupervised because of parents working, parents too stressed out; parents having children too youngso young that they are barely beyond childhood themselves, or so young that they havent even begun to figure out their place in life, let alone that of offspring, so invest time that should be spent in child raising in finding themselves, whether that be through undergoing multiple, serial partnerships that prove largely unsuccessful, orwhatever. Then there are those who have produced children carelessly, who are tuned out because of drugs and alcohol. Not least of all, I havent even mentioned children who suffer from abuse (sexual, physical, and psychological) and neglect (although mentioned peripherally here).
All of these ramblings are neither here nor there, and I have likely left out more than I have put in; there is no alpha, nor omega.
Disclaimer: Following are broad generalizations based on my own personal opinion.
It seems to me that, post-WWII, each generation has become more and more lax with regard to proper parenting that leads to producing a well-developed adult. The reasons for this are manifold.
(1)The WWII generation suffered through the Great Depression. They knew what it was like to live without. When the war ended, the GI Bill offered many of those a chance at the American Dream that in other circumstances they might not have had. They bought houses and had large families, and were eager to give their children all of the things that had not been made available to them. They produced the baby boomer generationroughly, 1946-1963. This period of time was idyllic in many sensesit was the age of innocence, pre-Kennedy assassination and all that that fateful day broughta harbinger of the cynicism that was to follow. It brought the advent of television and many modern conveniences. It was a time when there was still time to enjoy.
(2)The baby boomer generation is the largest generation ever produced and will remain so (due to improved medicine and thus an increase in mortality, among other things) for the greater part of most of our lives. Born during the height of the baby boomer generation, at 48, there are more people of my age who are living than any other age. Despite Americas obsession with youth, the baby boomer generation will always be the one most catered to, as they represent the largest bloc of consumers, from a capitalistic point of view. Some of these observations are irrelevant to my post but worth mentioning, regardless. Perhaps the relevance is that, for better or worse, this generations primary focus has been on itself. Thus, this generation has largely been me-focused, and the offspring of this generation have suffered because of it. It was also the age of the sexual revolution which, for better or worse, brought about a more permissive society and a relaxation of standards. Divorce was no longer a stigmait became commonplace. The word pregnant was now being said on the air, and Lucy and Ricky, Mary and Rob, were no longer forced to sleep in single beds. It also brought about the first time in history where drug use, if not condoned outright, was certainly widespread and a part of the culture. All of these factors, in addition to others, influenced parenting, in what I view are mostly unfavorable ways (YMMV).
(3)Despite the fact that technology has advanced beyond what many could have imagined, modern conveniences do not necessarily make our lives easier. It could be argued that they make them even more stressful. The development of PCs and other associated workplace technologies allow us to be more productive, yes, but concurrently they also allow even more work to be placed upon us. This produces more stress than was ever before experienced in the workplace. Economic conditions are such that stay-at-home moms have become increasingly rare; that arrangement for the most part is considered a luxury. The cultural acceptance of divorce and out-of-wedlock births has lead to single-parent families being commonplace. Many of these single parents are forced to undertake multiple jobs simply in order to pay for the necessities of life. So, whether a parent is married or single, far too much time is spent out of the home, leaving little time (or energy, or patience) to raise children to become those well-developed adults, and latchkey kids are commonplace. How many children do you witness who actually play outside any moresimple childhood games? Whereas television became the first opiate for children, offering a cheap method for babysitting, it has nearly become surpassed (I dont know the statistics, sorry) by video games. Children left unsupervised because of parents working, parents too stressed out; parents having children too youngso young that they are barely beyond childhood themselves, or so young that they havent even begun to figure out their place in life, let alone that of offspring, so invest time that should be spent in child raising in finding themselves, whether that be through undergoing multiple, serial partnerships that prove largely unsuccessful, orwhatever. Then there are those who have produced children carelessly, who are tuned out because of drugs and alcohol. Not least of all, I havent even mentioned children who suffer from abuse (sexual, physical, and psychological) and neglect (although mentioned peripherally here).
All of these ramblings are neither here nor there, and I have likely left out more than I have put in; there is no alpha, nor omega.
