Go Ruben!
Go Ruben! Excellent write up in Mondays paper.
Its a sore subject but its oh so true, this generation is spoiled big time. I am a naturalized citizen and I remember chores had to be done before I went anywhere. My parents were determined that I would learn the values needed to make it on my own. I had to keep my grades up, do chores and in the summer have a job. If I wanted something special I had to earn it.
I was taught to sew, knit, iron, cook etc. I in turn grew up, got married, had 5 children and expected them to do what I had to do. Today my kids are grown and married and they all can do more than their spouses, who unfortunetly can't cook, clean or sew, nor manage their money.
However due to keeping up with the Jones's in todays society, it has become more important to have brand named items. My grandkids have enough to open their own toy store, they have had parties big enough to have a hall rental, competeing with friends buying outrageous gifts for each party they attend. Making sure that when they buy a spiderman, they buy every character thats associated with it all at once. My childrens friends have their noses so far up in the air, that they wouldn't dream of holding a menial job even if they were desperate.
They also quite at a drop of a hat when something doesn't please them. I hear their compaints, and Im floored at all the excuses they have to quite. Try finding kids today to remove snow or cut your lawns for a few dollars. Majority are couch potatoe kids as I call them. They have no responsibilities, parents are afraid to say NO, the kids have no skills, they have no fear of an adult in authority and barely have manners.
It seems like parents today have set themselves up with such busy schedules that they can't be bothered to be consistent; they are so afraid or lazy to be disciplinarians. I can't imagine what my grandkids will be like when they grow up, if they are use to gettting everything they want.
There is a fine balance between gifts, activities, and family responsibilities that parents need to teach their children. My passing on what I learned lives on in my children, but I don't see it happening down the line. Society has over powered the desire to appreciate and value possessions and heritage, everything they are taught is throw away, it has no value. Be honest, how many times have you seen a kid break a toy out of anger and parents run right out and replace it, just to shut the child up? What are we teaching?
Donna Keefer
Dover
