Mischief Night?!! Is there enough discipline?

[trottingon]

As I took a dog walk around the village yesterday morning I noticed egg shells littering driveways and egg splattered windows from this new Mischief Night. Many were the bungalows of our local elderly folk.

I am linking this thread into the 'lies and remorse' thread and some of the opinions on how much we should control our teenagers and young people.

I felt myself getting really angry that parents were unaware that their DC were out and about committing acts of anti social behaviour.

How do we get the discipline and respect back if we don't recognise the need for 'control?' I am using this Mischief Night as an example. Giving our DC too much independence before we are really sure they are capable of making the right choices is surely a failing as a parent?

IMO we need to be more responsible and return to a more controlled and disciplined environment.

I never get this thing about getting discipline and respect "back". Do people who write this really believe that there was some kind of past where teenagers did not go out and get drunk and commit antisocial acts. And when is that supposed to have been? The seventies? Hardly (I was a teen then and remember them well). The sixties? Scarcely. The days of the Victorian mob? The Renaissance when they had charivaris? The Middle Ages when a tournament would stretch through a whole village and anyone who got caught in it was likely to be killed?

fwiw I did keep my teenagers in on Halloween. Absolutely no egg shell throwing and I don't think it's acceptable at all. We had a quiet family evening and very enjoyable it was too.

I just find this "return" rhetoric silly and annoying.

As you were.

Well Cory, having dealt with increasing levels of juvenile nuisance and anti social behaviour for many years and having witnessed the impact on communities I maintain that some parents need to be more responsible.

Yes of course we have a history of inappropriate and antisocial behaviour (many thanks for the history lesson) however we must not allow this to justify ineffective parenting today. Even compared to our dark bygone times, public confidence in young people is poor as I am sure you are aware!

So pleased you had an enjoyable evening with the family Cory but my thread was really meant to promote awareness to less involved parents...

I doubt the 'less involved' parents are here on MN, trotting.

My point, trottington, was that you will not promote awareness by making claims that are manifestly untrue (namely that there was some kind of golden age of controlled discipline in the past that one could "return to"): if you want people to listen you need to use an argument that fits the facts.

Not taking issue with your pov, merely pointing out that you need to argue it better. And, as flow points out, possibly choose a different audience.