60 years ago, children were scared of adults. Now, it seems adults are scared of children?

[JessieZoo]

I've noticed since smacking was frowned upon as not the morally right method to discipline a child, whether at home or by a teacher, like in times gone past. Children seem today to have too much confidence at a young age, and I think this is a bad thing. They know they can get away with ASB or threatening a teacher, but the police can't do anything as the laws they currently enforce are too soft. No fear of consequence is missing in today's world, isn't it?

Jealous of them having the most aggressive and mentally unwell cohort of children we’ve ever seen..?

This.

You're absolutely right that discipline has disappeared and I've seen many parents over the past few decades fear their child being unhappy. Even to the point they can't bring themselves to give consequences for poor behaviour because the child will be upset. No empathy obviously for those their child affected.

Children need boundaries to feel attached, safe, loved and secure.

I don't think there's a complete coincidence with the fact boundaries have disappeared and we have a generation of children with MH difficulties.

Although I don't think this is the only cause of the MH epidemic I think there's a larger picture to that and do agree SM is a big factor.

I get the impression a lot of senior leadership in schools are scared of parents. So teachers can't discipline kids properly (nothing to do with corporal punishment) because they won't be backed up when the parents complain.

I don’t think children behaving in an aggressive / threatening way are feeling confident. Have you never heard of ‘fight or flight’ as an anxiety response?!

Well, I don't think children years ago would have kept rubbing the train conductor's head calling him "baldie". When he told them if they carried on swinging on the luggage racks they'd have to get off at the next station they said they'd filmed him and would put it on TikTok and complain to the train company about him threatening them with being dumped at the wrong station miles from home because it wouldn't be safe and their parents wouldn't be happy.

(I know there are plenty of lovely teens around, but there are some in groups who show off and go too far. Cameras and social media really don't help.)

Respect for the law, for adults such as teachers, other parents, staff in shops, school bus drivers, anyone really. Children used to behave, and do as they were told

even when they were being fucked metaphorically and literally. Thank god the hold of power is over

@blacksax

O would go further and say it wasn't just children who used to behave and show respect but people in general. I went shopping (in real life not online!) recently and was shocked by the lack of initiative and help given by some of the retail staff. In one shop, the assistant was having trouble scanning my items etc and a queue was building. Her colleague didn't step in and in the the end I said k would go to the other till. The other colleague then started bad mouthing her colleague. No appreciation of how unprofessional that was.

This has always happened. It happened 60 years ago too.

There are various reasons and circumstances why people turn out the way that they do.

Unquestioning respect for authority isn’t a good thing in my mind. It led to a lot of children being abused for starters. I’d rather my kids has a inner sense of justice and doing what is right rather than unquestioning obedience.