american_youth The Truth scares me, but it's the parenting that is to blame. See what happens when you let television raise your children? I know several parents that get easily irritated with their kids and say...Go watch TV! I see the kids sitting 4 inches away from the screen, mouth slightly opened, blank expression. I almost open my mouth to say something, but our politically correct walls forbid it because "they aren't MY kids!" Next I see these same parents feed their children candy, soda, and massive amounts of other forms of sugar, then yell at THEM 30 minutes later for bouncing off the walls. I reach back my hand in backhand mode to smack some good into these idiot parents, but no, I cease. The PC walls forbid it because "they are not my kids!" (just kidding, I wouldn't act out violently.) Then inevitably, the kids start crying (could it be from coming down from their sugar high? hmmmmmmmmm...), and the parents, as if all of these parents went to the same "idiots school of parenting", instead of nurturing the children when they cry, they either: feed them (possibly the cause for eating disorders later in life...) send them to bed (possibly the cause for emotional avoidance issues?) or the worst, most wretched scenario...they scold the poor child for crying. If you bring a child into this world, you've booked yourself a solid 18 years of commitment toward raising that child into adulthood. You, not television, not daycare and certainly not the child's siblings. Children have needs, and they need their parents to fulfill those needs. 010802 ... ferret i agree most strongly, i was at a fair and i saw a guy yelling at his kid fro crying, apparently, thinking that that would help, but now, it made it worse, i wanted to knock the guy out. i know what that's like, that's why i didn't learn to ride a bike until i was 9. 030427 ... joda The youth of America is being forced to grow too fast, accept far too much responsibility, and process far too many truths at an earlier age than any generation has had to; however, America neglects it's youth - failing them - by not giving them the proper tools to move through life with. It's certainly not being done at home - what parent has time? And school? What school is teaching anyone anything more significant that social interaction? And how many of today's youth actually benefit from this interaction? When I was groing up, you'd get a good beating with a fist from a bully, or you'd give one if you were a bully. Today, the consequences of bullying are far more severe: the consequences are deep psychological trauma. We see it in the news, in our schools and in today's artisitc expression, be it music, film, or the written word. Every human being has the intellectual capacity to live a life that is fulfilling and meaningful, without ignorance. Our society though, has inundated our youth with so much information and so little intellectual support, that we stand by and blame them for their misunderstandings. Born in stupid, is raised stupid, and this is an epidemic that we are doomed to repeat as we grow in number with every followng generation on this planet. It's just carelessness. If we took the time to teach our children about life, they, in turn, could teach theirs. Unfortunately, the children of the 80's were born in a time when family was not as close-knit, community began to dissolve, and society began to lose depth. Children born today are being raised by parents who were raised in the 80's, and the world was nothing like it was ten years prior. I finally begin to understand what my mother means when she tells me "Things were nothing like they are now." Someday, when I do have children, I will hopefull be able to relay the past to them so they can see how we've evolved, giving them information they can explore to determine what kind of person they want to be. Children should have every option available to them, but it's a parent's responsibility to showw them that this is attainable. Not enough are doing this, and to me, that's the problem with today's children. The kids are not alright. 030427 ... Dafremen The disease will spread if it's not stopped. It is bred by apathy. Indifference remains for as long as the system encourages it. It is bread by apathy. 030427 ... joda Apathy... Then why have children at all? 030501 ... User24 I'm not going to. I think it would be irresponsible. 030630 what's it to you? who go blather from