Lost art of parenting?

[mbk34]

I do litter picking and other volunteering on my local parks. It was a sunny day yesterday and I happened to be picking up rubbish in Norwood Grove in South London.

I watched as parents stacked their rubbish like Jenga on top of the already full bins. The wind, foxes and rooks would then spread that rubbish all round the Grove. I also found 3 full nappies discarded on the lawns. Throughout the day there were kids running through all the flower beds trampling the flowers that were growing and leaving nothing but packed earth.

Is parenting a lost art? Does nobody respect the public spaces around them? Is it really so difficult to take your rubbish home?

I was always taught to bring my rubbish home, my dc do the same. I think it's more a selfish fucker thing than a parenting thing.

Is parenting a lost art? Does nobody respect the public spaces around them? Is it really so difficult to take your rubbish home?

Yes, a couple of kids running through flowers means parenting is a lost art. It’s gone now. They’re all feral.

Parenting isn’t an art, you’re not an artist.

@Deadringer

I was always taught to bring my rubbish home, my dc do the same. I think it's more a selfish fucker thing than a parenting thing.

This.

I know what you mean. I think there was a lot of cruelty to children in the past or at least disinterest. Obviously that still happens now but i think there are a lot of entitled parents out there who think nothing of their children running amok. I was at a park yesterday and a boy (looked about 5) started rubbing out a cafes chalk menu as his dad weakly told him to stop. He laughed carried on and dad said ‘oh you might not get an ice-cream now!’ Whilst then getting him for an ice-cream when his child ran over to the ice-cream van.
I don’t think manners are held in such high regard as they should be.

I probably have the largest age gap between children on here (36 years between my oldest and youngest), and from the 80's to now the act of parenting is exactly the same. The only real difference is back then we didn't have as many disposable products and there weren't nearly as many people. The world's population has almost doubled. More people plus more disposable products equal more mess.

There has always been parents who are not great at parenting and there sadly properly alway be parents who aren’t great.

Yes everyone else is shit at parenting. Thank god you're here to let us all know how it should be done.

@mbk34

I do litter picking and other volunteering on my local parks. It was a sunny day yesterday and I happened to be picking up rubbish in Norwood Grove in South London.

I watched as parents stacked their rubbish like Jenga on top of the already full bins. The wind, foxes and rooks would then spread that rubbish all round the Grove. I also found 3 full nappies discarded on the lawns. Throughout the day there were kids running through all the flower beds trampling the flowers that were growing and leaving nothing but packed earth.

Is parenting a lost art? Does nobody respect the public spaces around them? Is it really so difficult to take your rubbish home?

I agree with you, and if I was in charge littering would result in a month in jail BUT I do think the council has role to play. Around here the buns aren’t emptied for weeks at a time and it’s horrible, this is what we pay council tax for and it’s not good enough.

*buns eh? I hate this phone.

Oh fuck off.

No.

None of us with young children give a shit about litter, manners, respecting the environment, or good citizenship.

We are all raising feral little fuckers that come to the park with the sole purpose of setting light to the conifers, would bash you with a stray Calippo lolly tube as soon as look at you, and shit in the flowerbeds on the way out.

Is that what you want to hear ?

When I was a child, even very young, I spent my time off here, there and everywhere and only headed back for dinner. You could argue there was zero parenting there. These days, knowing life isn't as safe as Little House on the Prarie, our kids don't actually have that level of freedom. They don't even walk to school themselves or go on errands. There is more parenting and supervision.

Of course, from the moment you give birth, you're parenting is judged and you get unsolicited advice. And you encounter people who blame kids for everything as if adults don't litter or treat the environment badly.

Some defensive people on here. No one is saying children are to blame for everything or all parents are awful. However, the attitude of some parents is such that their children have become untouchable. Everyone needs to have expectations for how to behave and how their actions affect others.

It sure why you’re speaking for the OP and claiming to know what they’re saying. We can all read exactly what they said.

not sure

@UhtredRagnarson

It sure why you’re speaking for the OP and claiming to know what they’re saying. We can all read exactly what they said.

I’m giving my view, just like you’re giving yours. Not sure what’s wrong with that?!

No you were claiming to know what the OP wasn’t saying.

@UhtredRagnarson

No you were claiming to know what the OP wasn’t saying.

I didn’t read it like OP meant no one can parent anymore. They haven’t come back to clarify, I was surprised at the immediate hostility.

Derailing thread to tell you I found a jock strap when I was litter-picking.

If it's the adults leaving the rubbish piled up, then surely it's THEIR parent's fault for not instilling the correct amount of respect into them?

So the art of parenting was lost about 30 or 40 years ago.

I blame the Boomers :)