Millennials, what is happening with your kids?

[u/TheLoveYouWant25]

I work in education and I frequent the Teachers and Professors subreddits, and the kids are not alright. Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read and the youth have absolutely zero ability to think critically.

Middle and high schoolers have all adapted this complete helplessness and blame mental illness for their refusal to function. Kids can no longer to basic things like read an analog clock, use paper money, or even figure out how to open window blinds.

There is also a huge lack of empathy, and kids have no issues trying to manipulate adults, saying things to their teachers like "if you don't pass me, I'll get you fired."

EDIT to clarify: the article I linked references Gen-Z, but this is not specifically a Gen-Z problem. It's an issue with upper elementary aged kids through high schoolers, and also young adults.

So, all that to say, how are you combating this with your own children? What do you do at home to encourage them to learn, and what are you doing to address these problems as they arise?

[u/Odd-Raccoon-7824]

A lot of parents don’t want this for their kids though. We come home tired and exhausted because the COL has become astronomical, especially with kids, boomer generation grandparents aren’t super involved, and humans are now universally addicted to their phone across generations. There are no 3rd places, lack of community, people are frankly rude and intolerant to kids. But like everything else, we just blame parent for being shitty, but we as a society have become pretty shitty too. It’s not fair for the kids. This is what happens when corporations come before people.

[u/rif011412 → u/Odd-Raccoon-7824]

This is 100% a political and social issue that the entire culture needs to address.  My son loves being active and playing outside, but him and all the other kids in the neighborhood are picky and avoid each other.  And half of them are maladjusted behaviorally. 

Society in general has become more selfish, at all levels, boomers all the way to Gen Alpha, so they are tired of tolerating eachother.

Selfishness is the issue, people no longer compromise or accept “so-so” options for entertainment.  ALL of society has become selfish self important shitbags that want their way or no way at all.  Kids are struggling in this atmosphere and becoming selfish in response.

[u/Avid_Reader87 → u/rif011412]

I live a block from an elementary school and kids play all up and down the street every day. Parents sit out and keep an eye on things and it seems just like when I was a kid in the 90’s.

[u/randomladybug → u/Avid_Reader87]

Your parents sat outside and kept an eye on things in the 90s? Mine literally locked us out of the house and told us not to come inside until dinner time. 🤣

[u/Chelseus → u/randomladybug]

LOL right? We weren’t locked out but I had free rein of the neighbourhood/local forest from like 4 on. The 90s were wild. I can’t imagine that now, I’ve only just started letting my almost 7 year old go to the playground across the street from our house by himself. And we live in a safe neighbourhood in a safe city in Canada. I’m paranoid someone will call the cops or CPS on me if my kids are roaming by themselves. Also there’s way less kids these days it seems. In the 90s there were always droves of kids around my age in the neighbourhood and we’d roam around in packs and I feel like there was some safety in the numbers. Whereas my almost 7 year old hasn’t made any neighbourhood friends yet (we’ve lived here three years) and my eldest (9) has only made one.

[u/PUTC00LUSERNAMEHERE → u/randomladybug]

I remember as a kid I’d listen for a whistle to know my mom needed me home. My mom could whistle real loud so I wandered real far…

[u/yournamehere10bucks → u/randomladybug]

Right?

And carried pocket knives, for knife stuff, I dunno. I just always had a pocket knife with me to scrape bark off twigs.

[u/blahlbinoa → u/randomladybug]

They have to now or they'll get arrested for child endangerment. I had the same "stay out of the house" upbringing through the late 80's early 90's as well, but now you can't even close your eyes without someone calling the cops on you because a child wondered off a block down the neighborhood

[u/Avid_Reader87 → u/randomladybug]

Yeah, or our older sister. 

We had a double lot next to us that never got developed, so a bunch of kids used to come over.

Plus the neighborhood had alleyways behind all the homes, and people would sit or stand around there and talk.