to think the parents of these teenagers should pat themselves on the back for doing such a great job... NOT

[TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied]

So my grandad is 75, my nana died last year so he lives alone with his dog. My dad takes the dog for runs on the beach daily, but grandad has to take him for a quick walk round the block in the day time. A few weeks ago he was walking round the block when the dog pulled him over. He's not too steady on his feet at the moment anyway and he smashed his face up on one side. Some teenage boys stood there laughing their heads off and didn't help him up.

My grandad. Who has 6 kids, 17 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

My grandad. Who fought for this country.

Next it'll be my dad, then my husband, then my son. We all get old eventually.

He was very embarressed and didn't tell anyone. When my mum visited later that day she found what state he was in. I'm really upset by this. Bearing in mind that last week my mum and I saw an oldish lady fall and hurt her face and we helped her, got an ambulance, etc as she was very shaken. I worried about her all day.

Then last week when it had snowed and the snow had turned to ice, a young lady who was 35 weeks pregnant slipped on the ice and smacked the back of her head on the floor. She is a friend of a friend. She has a massive lump at the back of her head so it's not like it was a little fall. She'd really hurt herself. She struggled to get up with her baby-bump while a load of teenagers looked on and jeered and laughed. Again, she wasn't offered any help. I'm 34+4 and I was very scared to go out in the snow/ice after this incident as it showed how cruel people around here are.

What the hell happened to people? Where is the common decency and care for others? I'm just disgusted.

Your poor grandad.

Not all teenagers are like this. Honest.
I've been helped by ones here during the snow. Offering to carry shopping and help the children over the icey bits.

that is horrible

you are soooo NBU

your poor grandad

I Hope your grandad is ok now.

yanbu. some kids today have no idea

Awwr how awful I hope your grandad is alright!

OMG!! That is bad.
I would like to put a positve spin on teenage behaviour during the ice if you don't mind because what you have described has upset me.

The buses in my area got cancelled half way through the morning because of an accident involving a bus. Nobody told the old lady of about 80 who stood for over an hour and half waiting for the bus to take her to the medical centre.
A young lad I know pulled over and gave her a lift. She was bit nervous to begin with because he is 19 year old Asian lad and she is white. He took her to the medical centre and then back home. We didn't have know about this until her son came to the snooker club to thank the lad.

Those other kids were disgusting.

That's horrendous

Little shitheads like that, I could happily slap for all eternity. What if it was their grandad or their mum.....grrr!!

Aaw your poor Grandad, how is he now?

I know what you mean, absolutely. Yesterday we braved the local playpark as the snow had half thawed, and underneath was loads of broken beer and wine bottles and dog turds. So dp took ds round the swings and slide away from the glass while I spent a good 20-30 mins picking up as much of the broken glass as I could.

Meanwhile a bunch of teenage girls came into the playpark and sat on the swings behind me. Immediately they started giggling and whispering and I could hear fat this, fat that, wtf is she doing etc

Yes, I'm fat. I'm also nearly six months pregnant, and risking my own hands and falling on the icy floor so I can clear the broken glass so it's safer for you bloody ingrates and all the other children who use the park.

To be honest I've felt scared to go out much in the ice and snow at all because I know that as a fat woman, pregnant or not, with a toddler or not, if I fell over it's highly unlikely that anybody would help me up.

That is really upsetting, and there is no excuse for behaviour like that.

However, I would also like to tell a positive story about teenagers in the snow / ice.

I was walking home from guides with my dds (aged 12 and 10) and dd1 wanted to cross over as there was a group of 3 "hoodies" approaching us, and she is quite nervous of groups of teenagers (despite almost being one herself)

An elderly lady was trying to pull away from the kerb in her car, but the wheels were spinning in the slush, and she was stuck. The 3 boys, at the instigation of the oldest one, turned back and went over to push her car away from the kerb for her.

Only a very small action, I know, but gave me a little faith that there are kids out there whose instinct is to do the right thing.

I'm so and for you and your grandad.

It is hard not to feel depressed about younger people when I hear stories like that; but I take heart in the fact that there are teenagers out there who are different - a case in point here being upahill's story.

But I commiserate. That is awful.

I think programmes like Jackass and Dirty Sanchez, and that craze of happyslapping and stuff doesn't help. It all seems to make some teenagers oddly detached and unable to empathise. I believe that if you're taught to laugh at other people's pain and misfortune it's inevitably going to affect your dealings with real people.

I'm glad some of you have posted with positive stories (especially Upahill, how sweet of that lad). Just goes to show they're not all like that. I just can't imagine what goes through the heads of the nasty ones. I am determined to make sure my DCs will always want to help others.

My grandad's just sort of dusted himself off and got on with things but he's already aged a lot this year since losing my nana. I seem to be the one who's angrier than everyone else but I just can't get over it.

OP, that is awful. I would have been heartbroken too if it had happened to my grandad. I am sitting here with a lump in my throat.

Hope you (and your grandad) will be able to take comfort in some of the positive stories here.

I am a secondary school teacher (supply) and know only too well how horribly detached and cruel some teenagers seem to be (very often they come from unpleasant homes, not that that excuses such behaviour). But I also get to meet hundreds of inspiring, compassionate (not to mention hilarious) young people, who give me immense hope for the future.

WHat a sad story OP.
Its not just teenagers though, there are adults who would do the same.
MAybe not stand there laughing, but certainly wouldnt help.

. I have seen a couple of horrible incidents like this in London where I live. I do try to concentrate on the positive though.

I remember struggling up tube steps with dd in her buggy and two young lads looking very like very stereotypical thuggish youngsters came running over and took the buggy off me and carried her upstairs. One of them was smoking and had his cigarette in his mouth while he carried the buggy and his mate reached over and took it out of his mouth and said "Get rid of that man, you can't be smoking round no baby!" I told them how lovely they were and they should tell their mums from me that she should be proud of them, think they were a bit but they were really were lovely boys.

thesteelfairy,
that is such a lovely story it brought tears to my eyes (what is wrong with me??!)

Some really sad tales on here, I am soprry about your GD T&UP.

But Ivealso met somelovely teenagers- ones i have mentored at a comp, and the many who traveleach week so the SN swimming club can run locally (each child has one volunteer,almost all are 16 -19).

I could think of teens when I was one who'd have done the same or worse- I don' think its a new thing, terrible though

I actually always feel quite choked when I recall it and I always use it as my not all teenagers are bad example.

Your poor grandad How horrible.

Steel- that is really nice. There is hope out there. Our town seems to be going to the dogs, though. I keep trying to keep grandad inside and he loves to be out and I think oh my God, I'm being so mean just because I feel overprotective IYKWIM.

Message withdrawn