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From:
Date: 6/4/01
Time: 2:04:35 PM
Remote Name: 64.210.248.135
Yes, most kids ARE coddled and spoiled today. Speaking very generally, they have much more than any previous generation. They have gameboy, nintendo, soccer in the a.m., scouting in the afternoon, and piano in the evening. They're carted around in luxurious SUVs and sheltered from disappointment. The kids that aren't "activitied" to death are left in daycare from 6am to 7pm, then brought home while chomping dinner from McDonald's in the SUV, then plopped in front of the tv or the computer. It's easy to see parents' priorities today - status and greed. It leaves children with a shallow value system, a lack of intimate and loving connection with family, and an inability to focus their attention for longer than the few seconds a soccer ball isn't coming at them or the scene on the screen isn't changing. And society is surprised to learn that school is a battleground of incivility? You're right that the government is no place to look for answers. But what's it going to take for America to wake up?
And the bullying that goes on... yes, it's just human nature. And it won't ever change. But does that make it acceptable? And does my kid have to put up with it? Absolutely not. Parents need to teach their children that it is completely inappropriate to tease children that are quiet-natured, non-athletic, or from the lower end of the socio-economic ladder.