Progress or just spoiled kids?

Ronald Morales2 said:Yeah, we’re all spoiled...
I love it when the older generation goes, "We didn't have computers back then, so why should you need them now?"
Look, if it's hot out, it's hot. If we have the option to fix it, why wouldn't we?
And it's not like the world is ending just because someone doesn't own an Xbox or a PlayStation
Half my friends don't even have a console, and they're doing just fine...
It's not about being bratty, it's about keeping up with what's actually happening.
My neighbor upstairs literally bought a PlayStation 3 when it was super expensive just so he could say he had one and stay on trend...
I actually suggested to my classmates at school that if everyone chipped in $17 (we share classrooms, so like 60 kids total), it would be $1000 and we could just buy ourselves some AC...
The main issue is just that our parents grew up without half the stuff we take for granted today...

👍 Brilliant idea. 🙏

Why shouldn't kids have AC in their classrooms? Look, I don't have children, but if someone tries to lecture me about how "spoiled" today's generation is just because they want air conditioning, they're missing the point entirely. I grew up in schools where we were sweating through our shirts in 95-degree heat, or dealing with playground equipment that felt like it was melting under the sun. Is it really "oppressive" to want to give our kids the best? If it's within my means, and I had a kid, I’d be looking at a chauffeur driving them to school and classrooms equipped with climate control and mahogany desks. Anyone calling this hypocritical—especially compared to how most parents actually handle upbringing and education—is clearly deluded.
What kids possess, and the specific things they have, only matters if you approach the situation with the right mindset.
Graham and Mikimiki hit the nail on the head here.

Amanda Kern2 said:Why shouldn't kids have AC in their classrooms? Look, I don't have children, but if someone tries to lecture me about how "spoiled" today's generation is just because they want air conditioning, they're missing the point entirely. I grew up in schools where we were sweating through our shirts in 95-degree heat, or dealing with playground equipment that felt like it was melting under the sun. Is it really "oppressive" to want to give our kids the best? If it's within my means, and I had a kid, I’d be looking at a chauffeur driving them to school and classrooms equipped with climate control and mahogany desks. Anyone calling this hypocritical—especially compared to how most parents actually handle upbringing and education—is clearly deluded.
What kids possess, and the specific things they have, only matters if you approach the situation with the right mindset.
Graham and Mikimiki hit the nail on the head here.

🙏🙏👍
it'd be the same for me:
i didn't have a bus every morning, so nobody else should either
they didn't have SATs, so why should we?
our backpacks are heavy, so everyone else's should be too...
we need to invest in them, they're the future!!!

We used to head off to school in thirty-degree weather too, but back then, nobody was running around talking about global warming or climate crises or any of those other terms, right? We just assumed it was a standard, perfectly normal summer heatwave... 😬 😉

By the way, have you heard that they've shortened the school week to four days over in France? I think it’s mainly for the elementary kids, but the reasoning is fascinating—they claim children are spending far too many hours sitting in classrooms, absorbing massive amounts of information without actually retaining much of it. 😁 Their whole philosophy is that by cutting back on formal instruction, students will actually learn more effectively, all while getting to spend much more quality time hanging out with their families.

Times have changed, for heaven's sake—we’re living in the 21st century now... technology is moving at breakneck speed, and while society evolves right along with it, it’s also becoming increasingly entitled. It seems kids these days can practically have their hands on anything they want; everything is handed to them on a silver platter. They aren't just content with what they already have—no, they always want more.

You’ve become just like your parents. It’s the same old cycle—we all end up turning into them, sitting around judging our kids for being "spoiled" when we know damn well we weren't nearly that pampered ourselves. 🙄😁
If you actually have a backbone and stay composed, you’ll set firm boundaries with your kids—and honestly, everything will turn out fine. I have zero patience for people who try to shift the blame onto the school system, the Secretary of Education, society at large, the news, or even the big banks. At the end of the day, parents are the ones primarily responsible for their children. Period.
The sad, hard truth is that most people—and by extension, most parents—are just plain idiots. 🙂.
The only real difference between parents today and the ones who raised us? It boils down to two things: we’re carrying much heavier debt, and we have way too many options staring at us from the grocery store shelves.QUOTE]

Look, I agree with your point—but let’s be real here: not every parent grew up being coddled by overindulgent parents. For a huge number of people, it was actually the exact opposite. They were raised in households where they were suppressed, overlooked, or even outright mistreated. Now, obviously, that shouldn't be an excuse to pass those same toxic patterns down to their own kids—but it also shouldn't lead them toward the other extreme of total, mindless permissiveness. It's a delicate balance, isn't it?
We can't even call our own parents idiots—not without making things incredibly awkward.
We all know exactly what a total moron looks like.
The real issue here? It’s the total lack of accountability—that constant, exhausting habit of shifting the blame onto someone or something else. Whether it's pointing fingers at other individuals or hiding behind some faceless institution, it’s always the same story. Why is it so hard for anyone to just own their mistakes? Instead of facing the music, people just look for a scapegoat. That's the root of the problem right there.

I honestly think it all boils down to how much quality time parents actually carve out for their kids when they’re drowning in work. That’s the heart of the issue right there.

Nicole Allen10 said:I honestly think it all boils down to how much quality time parents actually carve out for their kids when they’re drowning in work. That’s the heart of the issue right there.

Life is moving at breakneck speed these days—and honestly, it’s leaving a trail of consequences in its wake.

Emily Robinson4 said:Times have changed, for heaven's sake—we’re living in the 21st century now... technology is moving at breakneck speed, and while society evolves right along with it, it’s also becoming increasingly entitled. It seems kids these days can practically have their hands on anything they want; everything is handed to them on a silver platter. They aren't just content with what they already have—no, they always want more.

Emily, every era has its own set of challenges. My grandmother grew up with horse-drawn carriages, while I drive a car. My mother didn't think I needed a vehicle, even though she didn't own one herself.
Technology isn't the actual culprit here.
It’s already a well-established fact that responsibility and respect are the bedrock of raising children properly—regardless of the era. Whether it's yesterday, today, or tomorrow, those values remain constant, independent of any gadget.
While technology is undeniably advancing, human nature isn't keeping pace—in fact, it’s regressing sociologically and emotionally. Unfortunately, the victims are both the children and the parents themselves. We’re all stuck in a world where consumerism is worshipped, materialism is the ultimate goal, and our daily lives are cluttered with endless "information." In the middle of all that noise, many parents are too lost to actually recognize the fundamental pillars of parenting.

I was born in '52, which means I started my schooling years around '59, and frankly, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything the younger generations might offer, no matter how much they claim to have improved things. I truly believe we belong to one of the final cohorts that experienced a semblance of a "normal" upbringing; back then, there wasn't this pervasive, suffocating obsession with material wealth that seems to define modern life. We were all more or less on the same level—there wasn't that constant, exhausting need for snobbery, entitlement, or the relentless urge to show off just to prove one's worth. It simply wasn't given such undue importance in our society. Now, I agree that raising a child in today’s world is an uphill battle because the very fabric of our society has shifted so drastically, but even though I am not a parent myself, observing others makes me realize it is still possible to do it right. That said, there is an overwhelming abundance of spoiled children nowadays—far more than what we ever saw—alongside kids who have been raised with fundamentally warped values. Generally speaking, we are looking at a populace with a deeply fractured sense of what actually matters in life. Goodness, it is such a heavy, complicated subject to dwell upon...

Amanda Kern2 said:Why shouldn't kids have AC in their classrooms? Look, I don't have children, but if someone tries to lecture me about how "spoiled" today's generation is just because they want air conditioning, they're missing the point entirely. I grew up in schools where we were sweating through our shirts in 95-degree heat, or dealing with playground equipment that felt like it was melting under the sun. Is it really "oppressive" to want to give our kids the best? If it's within my means, and I had a kid, I’d be looking at a chauffeur driving them to school and classrooms equipped with climate control and mahogany desks. Anyone calling this hypocritical—especially compared to how most parents actually handle upbringing and education—is clearly deluded.
What kids possess, and the specific things they have, only matters if you approach the situation with the right mindset.
Graham and Mikimiki hit the nail on the head here.

Exactly, why wouldn't they? The original question was whether stuff like this affects how kids behave nowadays.

I honestly feel like everyone’s just stuck in this endless, grinding loop lately—parents and kids alike. Look, let's assume you've got parents who are actually decent, smart people, genuinely trying to instill some real human values in their children. But in this constant rat race we call modern life, where every job demands every ounce of your time and sanity, most days are just swallowed up by chores and obligations. You spend all your energy just meeting the baseline requirements of survival before you even get to the actual reason you're working in the first place: providing for yourself and, more importantly, your kids. By the time you actually have a moment to focus on them, you're just completely burnt out. It breeds this constant, low-level irritability because there’s zero downtime. Nowadays, the individual, the family—we're all just slaves to our jobs, our mortgages, and these ever-expanding consumerist cravings that force us to work even harder. And what can we realistically expect from our kids? They don't even get to be kids—they don't get to be those free, carefree little beings who just play. As soon as they hit school, they start noticing the gaps, feeling miserable because they don't have the same stuff as everyone else. Then it falls back on the parents who have to scramble to make sure their kids aren't left behind, just so they don't feel inferior. It's a vicious cycle.
Personally, I don't even have kids, and I can barely manage my own basic life after the daily madness.
I don't know, something feels fundamentally broken in America..

feralhound55 said:You’ve probably seen the headlines lately about parents complaining because their kids have to sit in classrooms hitting 90 degrees without any AC.

WTF???

I won't even get started on what it was like for me back in the early '90s—walking into crumbling schools with basically nothing. We all know how rough our school conditions used to be.

The real question is: Have we gone overboard with coddling kids? Do they have too much freedom and way too little responsibility? Or am I just starting to sound like my own parents with the whole "back in my day" routine?

More importantly, does this kind of "pampering" have anything to do with the rise in drug use, promiscuity, or even school shootings?

And why is there so little supervision these days? I’m not advocating for physical or psychological abuse, or locking kids in their rooms—I’m just wondering if, as a society, we haven't let things slide a bit too far.

Let’s be honest... as a society, we are all just completely screwed...

feralhound55 said:Exactly, why wouldn't they? The original question was whether stuff like this affects how kids behave nowadays.

Yeah, if you let them have that kind of influence.
Spoiled kids run their parents; it’s all because of the patterns they picked up. Spoiled kids are essentially bribed kids. They get handed "stuff" as a substitute for actual quality time, or as an apology for whatever parenting lapse the adults feel guilty about. This behavior is basically just a parent's way of apologizing to their kid for the world they live in and the way they're living in it.
It isn't the only reason kids turn out spoiled, but it matters for this conversation. Entitlement—or worse—can come from parents who can't hold a firm line when it counts. It can stem from situations where a child is perceived as being "damaged" by external circumstances, leading parents to overcompensate. Or maybe it’s just a meddling grandparent getting involved in the discipline. Basically, anything.
The bottom line? There has to be a gap in the upbringing for a child to become spoiled; there has to be a principle in place that allows it to happen. I don't think objects alone are the problem; it's the way they're presented to the kid. If a child learns to expect every whim to be met, they’re going to start demanding it.

Amanda Kern2 said:Yeah, if you let them have that kind of influence.
Spoiled kids run their parents; it’s all because of the patterns they picked up. Spoiled kids are essentially bribed kids. They get handed "stuff" as a substitute for actual quality time, or as an apology for whatever parenting lapse the adults feel guilty about. This behavior is basically just a parent's way of apologizing to their kid for the world they live in and the way they're living in it.
It isn't the only reason kids turn out spoiled, but it matters for this conversation. Entitlement—or worse—can come from parents who can't hold a firm line when it counts. It can stem from situations where a child is perceived as being "damaged" by external circumstances, leading parents to overcompensate. Or maybe it’s just a meddling grandparent getting involved in the discipline. Basically, anything.
The bottom line? There has to be a gap in the upbringing for a child to become spoiled; there has to be a principle in place that allows it to happen. I don't think objects alone are the problem; it's the way they're presented to the kid. If a child learns to expect every whim to be met, they’re going to start demanding it.

That’s true—but look, if their basic needs are actually being met, they can handle it when they don't get every little secondary thing they want right away. I honestly think a well-adjusted kid handles a "not right now" much better because they aren't dealing with that massive compensation reflex you see when a kid lacks the fundamentals—you know, things like love, attention, or just feeling safe. Parenting requires actual thought and intuition; yeah, we all mess up, but that’s a hell of a lot better than being totally checked out or trying to fix everything by steamrolling through a kid's boundaries with brute force.
You definitely need to set firm rules with older kids—like, sit them down and make a real deal about screen time or gaming—but you also have to live in the real world. You can't just mindlessly parrot what your parents said back in the day like, "...well, back in my time, we did it this way..." That kind of thinking is just lazy; it shows a total lack of effort to actually understand how kids grow up today.

To me, leaning hard on authority—the whole "because I said so, I'm the boss" vibe—is a recipe for disaster. It either breaks them so they comply while being damaged inside, or it turns them into those "spoiled brats" (honestly, that term should probably be illegal) which is just another way of saying they're damaged too.

feralhound55 said:You’ve probably seen the headlines lately about parents complaining because their kids have to sit in classrooms hitting 90 degrees without any AC.

WTF???

I won't even get started on what it was like for me back in the early '90s—walking into crumbling schools with basically nothing. We all know how rough our school conditions used to be.

The real question is: Have we gone overboard with coddling kids? Do they have too much freedom and way too little responsibility? Or am I just starting to sound like my own parents with the whole "back in my day" routine?

More importantly, does this kind of "pampering" have anything to do with the rise in drug use, promiscuity, or even school shootings?

And why is there so little supervision these days? I’m not advocating for physical or psychological abuse, or locking kids in their rooms—I’m just wondering if, as a society, we haven't let things slide a bit too far.

Here's my take: I finished high school about nine years ago. Is it progress or just pure entitlement? It's hard to say.
As for sitting in a classroom at 90 degrees without air conditioning—yeah, that sucks. Kids can't focus, they're overheated, it's stuffy, and everything else. Opening a window doesn't do much when it's a heatwave. Back in the day, AC was a luxury, but nowadays it's a necessity. I remember traveling across the state once and I was literally drenched in sweat. So yeah, I don't think it's easy for the kids either.
Regarding technology and being spoiled, honestly, it's a bit of both.
Tech is getting insane, and parents who are constantly working try to make up for their lack of time by buying their kids material stuff.
I was born in '81, so I started school around '87 or '88. The gap between us and kids today wasn't massive (there were rich kids and poor kids, but we looked out for each other) until things shifted around '91 when the war hit. That's when the divide really started showing, though still nothing compared to today.
When I talk to teachers now, they all say the same thing: every generation gets worse, kids have no respect for authority, they call their parents for every tiny little thing, and it's just not what it used to be.
We were basically the generation where computers were rare, cell phones didn't exist yet—just payphones, PlayStations, and stuff like that.
And yeah, I'm with hannah3 on this one.

@ Graham
Sure, you mentioned balance earlier in your post. That’s really the heart of parenting, isn't it? It all revolves around that delicate equilibrium. You have these opposing forces—boundaries versus freedom—that need to be balanced so a child actually accepts them as a guiding principle for life. But here’s the thing: it isn’t the limits parents set that create those "spoiled brats." It’s the freedom. Not the good kind of freedom that comes from trust or responsibility, but the reckless kind; that exploitative sort of liberty where a kid just takes advantage of whatever they can get. The antidote is discipline. And I don't mean some Spartan, drill-sergeant nonsense, just steady parental guidance. This is also why teachers, as Amanda Kern2 pointed out, seem to complain that every new generation is getting worse than the last. Any perceived entitlement is just the byproduct of the kind of world parents are building—a world their own kids will eventually have to inhabit.

Nowhere else in the country does the school day kick off this early. It’s honestly heartbreaking that my child is attending a school where even wearing shorts is against the rules, all while there isn't a single air conditioner in sight. They come home absolutely exhausted, looking like they’ve spent the entire day doing manual labor out in the sun. I am certainly not suggesting we coddle children, but surely some basic environmental standards for learning need to be met. If the heat is this intense, installing AC in the classrooms is a necessity. If that proves too costly, then perhaps delaying the start of the school year by a week or two would be more sensible.
Regarding classroom technology, it seems everything remains stagnant. It's just chalk and boards. Though, if I'm being honest, I personally feel that might actually be the most effective method—that direct, interactive engagement between student and teacher. However, if we want to attract high-quality educators who truly care about their vocation, we ought to compensate them with a decent salary.
One can only imagine what those people are enduring right now, stuck in uncooled classrooms while the thermometer hits 104 degrees.
Can such teaching truly be considered high quality? Does it even make sense at this point?
It feels like Primorac is just waiting for someone to suffer a heatstroke before realizing he’s overreached, much like his handling of the state standardized tests, which students managed to completely dismantle in a single day!

I honestly think kids here in the States aren't nearly as spoiled as those in the West... Our upbringing and schooling systems are actually quite solid.

Jose Mendoza5 said:Nowhere else in the country does the school day kick off this early. It’s honestly heartbreaking that my child is attending a school where even wearing shorts is against the rules, all while there isn't a single air conditioner in sight. They come home absolutely exhausted, looking like they’ve spent the entire day doing manual labor out in the sun. I am certainly not suggesting we coddle children, but surely some basic environmental standards for learning need to be met. If the heat is this intense, installing AC in the classrooms is a necessity. If that proves too costly, then perhaps delaying the start of the school year by a week or two would be more sensible.
Regarding classroom technology, it seems everything remains stagnant. It's just chalk and boards. Though, if I'm being honest, I personally feel that might actually be the most effective method—that direct, interactive engagement between student and teacher. However, if we want to attract high-quality educators who truly care about their vocation, we ought to compensate them with a decent salary.
One can only imagine what those people are enduring right now, stuck in uncooled classrooms while the thermometer hits 104 degrees.
Can such teaching truly be considered high quality? Does it even make sense at this point?
It feels like Primorac is just waiting for someone to suffer a heatstroke before realizing he’s overreached, much like his handling of the state standardized tests, which students managed to completely dismantle in a single day!

More and more schools are switching over to whiteboards and markers these days, but that's not really the point here. 🙂