ottopilot

That's a big part of it. The child is beat out of us bit by bit. I think if we ran everywhere and jumped on the furniture, we'd be a much healthier society. Our stuff would look like shit, but we'd still know how play like a child, and most likely moving around much better past 30 and 40. On the other hand, have you noticed how slow kids pretend to be, especially in adolescence? Slow-talkin, slow-walkin imitations of cool? We imitate slow and end up slow.

Getting back to the OP, I can't stand some of the punk-ass-jerk tweener/teens (too harsh?). I guess because I do substitute teaching now and then, but what comes out of their mouths as normal conversation is a crime. I'm not a prude, I grew up in a very rough environment, and every generation has it's rebels, but what I'm talking about is a trend, a major breakdown in basic respect for other human beings.

It's really not their fault, I only blame the parents, but it's disturbing. It's not just stereotypical poor kids, some of the most privileged are the worst. Last week at our neighborhood pool, a teen (about 14) gets up, walks along real slow, acting real cool, and spits on the patio surrounding the pool. I get up and quietly say something to the guy explaining how I don't want my daughter walking through his spit and he says "fuck you" and laughs. The genius didn't know I was on the neighborhood association and I asked him to rephrase his comment or apologize. He repeated his previous remarks and I revoked his pool membership. So here comes the root cause ... mom calls me at my home demanding that I reinstate her son and apologize for embarrassing her. Junior is swimming somewhere else this summer.

The reaction of the mother not expecting the child to understand their responsibility, let alone take responsibility, is indicative of the trends I'm seeing. It's not the majority of kids that act like this, most are really smart and caring. But I can't help feeling like we're slipping toward greater inhumanity and indifference to respect of others.