Am I old or has shite behaviour become normal behaviour?

Honestly, OP I feel your pain.I'm a bit older than you and I just feel like I'm on a different planet sometimes. My husband went to help our tenants when the boiler broke down. The boiler is in the living room. He went with a heating engineer. Half way into fixing the boiler, the tenants put on porn and settled into watch. My husband didn't know where to look, but the heating engineer enjoyed the situation, fortunately.

Yes OP peoples behaviour has become awful.

Not everyone of course but I do find drivers are more aggressive, people are less considerate, good manners seems to be a thing of the past and loud, loud, loud everything seems to be normal.

It drives me bonkers.

The country feels too crowded, houses are smaller and closer together and services are all overstretched or unavailable.
I think it's making us all angry and hate each other.

We have more of an awareness of differing children's needs today

On public transport or in a coffee shop, if my autistic dd needs to stim loudly or jump around to regulate herself, I still get some stares and comments from people who feel that they could better parent such a child or didn't have autism in their day

I spend my time calming her and having her tablet on a very low volume, which only someone right next to her could hear, does that

Thank God for Steve jobs, may he rest in peace

What things???

...chatting, interacting

Especially this. I find it so sad to see so many young children out and about whose parents simply ignore them.

Some of my most precious recollections from my children's childhood are all the stuff they used to tell me - observations of what they were seeing, things that happened at school that day, something one of their pals told them about, questions about things they didn't understand or were curious about...

Haven't RTFT but in response to the opening post:

This is why I NEVER leave the house without my noise cancelling headphones. I simply can't BEAR other people's noise.

We have a better understanding of children's different needs today. And actually i find that there's much less tolerance of children being noisy than there used to be

Steve jobs was an angel who made the lives of stressed out parents a little bit easier

She doesn't like to wear a hat in the winter?

You're in the minority then

On public transport or in a coffee shop, if my autistic dd needs to stim loudly or jump around to regulate herself, I'd get stares and commentss from people who feel that they could better parent such a child or didn't have autism in their day

I spend my time calming her and having her tablet on a very low volume, which only someone right next to her could hear, does that

Edited for typo

Not true, I'd rather a restless child making noise than listen to digital sounds from a kids device

I would have 100% told them to shut up.

Someone behind us sang along at The Lion King musical - they got told to pack it in

If she can wear a hat, (in the winter?), she can wear a beanie with integrated headphones

Books, kids magazines, puzzles, small toys, colouring, chatting, interacting

Things have changed

Things like what?

Haha. I said that to my brother recently. We have big age gaps between our DC and when I suggested no phones at the restaraunt table he told me I "didn't know what it was like having small dc".
Silly me. I forgot that I birthed fully grown adults!

Things have changed

How on earth did parents get children to behave in public before iPads were invented!

PocketSand, I agree with you. Always shocks me in MN when people say “oh your child shouldn’t be talking to other children, adults. Bothering them in social situations etc…”

As children, we loved going to Butlins, and places like that, ave making lots of new friends. Now I imagine it’s a load of folks, children & adults sitting around on their individual screens.

I must admit that I do feel there is a problem of parents using screens to keep their children quiet - whilst also destroying the quiet of others. Just parent.

I say this as a mother of 2 autistic now adults and had to work really hard to keep my DC entertained and occupied in social settings. If they couldn't cope with inevitable waits in restaurants etc we went outside and amused ourselves until food arrived. I did this so they could learn to engage in appropriate ways in social situations.

Keeping NT DC entertained is a doddle in comparison.

I felt sad that my 3 year old nephew was strapped into a high chair watching Thomas on a lap top whilst his parents ignored him. He knew lots about Thomas but nothing about his own life.

I sympathise with parents trying to prevent even more noise by placating small children in public places. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

The volume is an issue though and they should turn it down. Maybe the parents' hearing has been so damaged by wearing headphones and airpods that they don't realise how loud and grating it is.to everyone else.

I just tried to avoid going anywhere that would have quantities of young kids once mine were no longer young. Not always avoidable but in planes and trains I take noise cancelling headphones anyway so I can relax without the train /plane engine noises. Since I can't hold a conversation with anyone anyway with all the engine nackground noise

People have always been noisy in pockets, I think the problem is that our population has expanded so much there are not many places to get peace and quiet anymore..

I don't remember the mid 80s full stop! I do remember people using their ghetto blasters in the park in the 90s. But they'd usually sit away from other groups. And no one did it on buses/trains here.

I use my phone to play music (through headphones) in the gym or listen to an audiobook or podcast. Instead of listen to the gym music or some class going on.

This is an oddly specific revenge, but I like your style. People listening to music or TV without headphones in hospital wards is unforgiveable.

Exactly this

YANBU it's rude and entitled behaviour. I can't stand it either.