If my kids did to that old woman what these kids did, I’d think of some really creative way to get my point across, like marching them to the nearest old age home and making them volunteer. This is just disgusting. I don’t think my kids would have done something like that, though, because they weren’t allowed to talk to me like that. I see far too many kids whose parents allow them to interact on that smart-ass level, and it’s all I can do not to reach out and smack them — all of them, parents included. “Oh what can I do, I can’t stop them!” Bullshit. Unless you have a kid with some kind of serious mental illness, the simple fact is, you have raised an asshole. An asshole is someone who thinks of himself as the center of the universe and has little to no empathy for anyone else.
People might not like to hear this, but I believe kids are animals and need to be trained into social behavior – or they simply conform to the Animal Farm rules of their peer pack. If you’re not doing that job (again, except under extreme circumstances), you’re not a good parent. Parents who grant their kids’ every wish? You’re raising an asshole. Parents who let their kids bully them into giving them what they demand? You’re raising an asshole. Parents who constantly tell their kids how wonderful and special they are? Raising an asshole.
Don’t even get me started on the “I can’t get my kids to go to bed/sleep in their own room” crowd. When did parents turn into such wimps? I’m pretty mild-mannered, but as I often told my kids, “When I was a little kid, all the grownups got to boss me around. And now that I’m a grownup, I’ll be damned if I let kids boss me around.”
What do you think? Overreacting or not? Are we officially old farts of the “these kids today!” variety?
Right on, Susie. Though I don’t think this generation has raised a higher percentage of assholes than previous generations, there are still more than enough.
Of course children need boundaries and discipline, but that takes work and sacrifice and tears, and who wants to spend the time?
I am glad that today’s parents are kinder to their children, but there is a difference between being kind and being soft. And unfortunately too many (seems like a large majority) of today’s parents are too soft on their kids. Go ahead and tell your kids that you emphasize with their situation, but stand firm on discipline and boundaries.
“People might not like to hear this, but I believe kids are animals and need to be trained into social behavior.”
Agreed, 100%. Sam’s mom and I have gone out of our way to instill values like manners, obedience, and kindness in him. We’ve always emphasized being a gentleman. He’s a good kid, well-behaved, and courteous as a result. I cannot fathom him acting like the little fucks in the video. if those were my kids, there would be hell to pay.
There is a collection at indiegogo for Ms. Klein and since the video went viral they’ve collected almost half a million dollars for her!!!
http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein?c=home
“People might not like to hear this, but I believe kids are animals and need to be trained into social behavior.”
I also completely agree. But what I find odd about this whole incident is that the job of bus monitor is to prevent the children on the bus from doing exactly what they did. The bus monitor is supposed to say “Stop that.” She’s one of the people hired to rein in our little monsters and insist on some proper behavior. Instead, this woman cowers in the corner due to verbal taunting? What if the kids had done that to another kid on the bus? What if a physical fight broke out? Looks to me like this ‘bus monitor’ would still be cowering. What is her role anyway? I wouldn’t want my kids under her version of ‘monitoring.’