[DeltAlum]

This is a pretty tough one for me, because I find myself conflicted when I try to form an answer. I'm sure the post will sound that way, so I appologize in advance.

There is a really old gag (and I'm not going to take the time to look for it -- I've got other things to do) where someone quotes a lot of stuff about kids being unruly, not listening to their parents, being resentful and uncaring, rebellious and all of this other stuff. The writer was Plato or some other "ancient" philosopher. There is another one where they describe three men. Two of them are made to sound like the dregs of the earth and one like the model citizen. The model citizen was Hitler. It all depends on context.

I don't know if things are worse now than they've been in the past -- but I do know that we hear a lot more about them than we ever have. My industry is very much to blame for that. Particularly now that there are so many news sources available on TV and cable. We are saturated.

Tom's comments about a litigation-happy society is certainly right.

And teachers are caught in the middle of a three way mess. Parents want teachers to be proxy parents -- until the teacher says or does something the parent disagrees with. Schools are expected to be In Loco Parentis, which the kids hate and the parents support until -- again -- the school does something to discipline little Johnny or Jane. The kids play one against the other. They're not dumb.

Well, usually.

As a parent, you sit and think, "I can't believe that this kid thinks I don't know what's going on!" They play all of the same games we did at their age. And they do it the same way, and try to cover with the same tricks. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But the stakes may be much higher in the long run.

Two of our kids were real academic winners in both high school and college. The other, our athlete, ended up barely graduating from high school and ended up in detox. What a blow to our family and our "egos" as parents. Of course, she is the one we worry least about now. She's a great mother and will probably be more financially successful than all of the rest of us as a hair dresser. The others are "artists" and will probably need and expect support all of their lives. They may be in for a rude shock due to our employment opportunities and income possibilities wither in this economy.

So, what does it all mean. Beats the hell out of me. In the long run, I suspect that the generations now growing up will end up taking responsibility as needed and carry on fairly well.

But parts of it can certainly be scary. Why do you think your parents have grey hair? Why is mine turning? How long before your does?