What is wrong with kids nowdays??

I was reading our local newspaper earlier and found an update on something that happened at a local High school a week or so ago.This really bothers me since its really close to our home now:( .On a typical day of school a message was found wrote on the girls restroom wall that has changed life for everyone in our area.The message was a threat to the school of gun violence(spelling) due to happen that specific day.Well of course as soon as this message was discovered the entire school was locked down and all students were confined to the rooms they were in.Every availiable police officer was sent to this school to start a investigation and just incase the threat was actually carried out.Nothing was found by police after a lengthy locker search or a room to room search with a dog.Now in the meantime every parent of the children in this school were kept at a distance and had no idea how there kids were for at least 4hrs.It was after this 4hr search police allowed the kids to leave the school.I then read the other day that they had arrested a young girl in connection with this threat.So today they posted her name and she lives in our village :eek: .Now please do not misunderstand me,it scares me more and more everytime i hear something like this happening in our schools :( .Something needs to be done and the time is NOW! Its bad enough we have familys losing loved ones in Iraq and now they have to wonder if there kids will make it home after school is over :( .Unless we all start speaking up NOW and put a stop to things like this,whats the future going to be like for our grandchildren? I thank the Admin for having this off-topic section to allow us to vent out certain things.

you know i tell myself the same thing all the time...some people's kids...

The week of the 13th there were a rash of similar incidents in some area high schools - a couple of (what turned out to be) bogus bomb threats and one rumored gun rampage.

Needless to say with 3 kids in HS it was a little frustrating and worrisome.

Well, maybe they should concider putting God back in school and see how much the violence drops.

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Originally Posted by mmchoppers

Well, maybe they should concider putting God back in school and see how much the violence drops.

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The buildings are too small though.

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

The week of the 13th there were a rash of similar incidents in some area high schools - a couple of (what turned out to be) bogus bomb threats and one rumored gun rampage.

Needless to say with 3 kids in HS it was a little frustrating and worrisome.

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See now whats the reason for this stuff happening:confused: .If things are not done soon to put a stop to ALL of this crap,i see alot of kids being home schooled very soon.With all the budget cuts in our schools as it is how are they going to prevent stuff from happening? Another thing that involves the schools is the nutcases that run into schools and take the kids as hostages and then kill some of the kids :mad: .I do know one thing if it ever comes down to where the schools need to have armed gaurds at the entrances of the schools, and are unable to pay for this i WILL donate every hour i have until i die!! When it comes to protecting our greatest resource(our children) i will not hesitate to protect them even if it means i have to kill someone trying to hurt them.

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Originally Posted by mmchoppers

Well, maybe they should concider putting God back in school and see how much the violence drops.

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I am not saying i do not agree with you here.Even though i am not a church person it does bother me that some schools have banned everything that even mentions God in our schools.For instance the Pledge of allegiance(spelling) now what is wrong with it? Now the problem with our kids today starts way before they even step in a school for there first time ever.This place is the HOMES of these kids:mad: .Majority of these kids now days have never really had any true dicapline(spelling) and are allowed to do whatever they want.Now when i was a kid if i ever talked to my mother the way some kids do now,i would not be able to write this today;) .She would have just plain knocked me out! Parents even think about correcting there children they are arrested and prosecuted for child abuse :mad: !

What about the kids in schools who don't practice or believe your particular brand of religion?

Regardless of whether you agree with a separation of church and state, the reality of our country today is one of vast ethnic, religious, and sociocultural backgrounds. To say that simply "putting god back in schools" will fix the problems there is shortsighted and won't do anything except anger lots of people on both sides of the fence.

Let's not turn this into a religious debate, please.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

...Now the problem with our kids today starts way before they even step in a school for there first time ever.This place is the HOMES of these kids:mad: .Majority of these kids now days have never really had any true dicapline(spelling) and are allowed to do whatever they want...

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This is exactly right. Schools and teachers can only do so much on the budget they are given. The real problem is their life at home. Kids these days lack the dicipline they need. Parents just don't seem to care anymore. I say we have nobody to blame but the parents of these kids that do things like that.

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Originally Posted by mmchoppers

Well, maybe they should concider putting God back in school and see how much the violence drops.

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Which one? I vote for Aido-Hwedo! But we're gonna need a lot of iron to feed it.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

See now whats the reason for this stuff happening:confused:

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In these particular cases they were very stupid ploys to get out of school for the day. One was a "Friday the 13th prank" yeah funny harhar

Getting back on the original topic...
Until people stop making excuses and start making everyone responsible for their actions there will be no improvement. When a kid brings a gun to school and threatens other kids or teachers who's fault is it?
Depending on the child's age, it is both the child's fault(not like they don't know it is wrong!) and the parent's fault(for not raising the child to know better). Instead people will blame everything else. Non-parents will blame everything else. It is not the school's fault, the local police, the president, the makers of video games, the movie industry or the local cheese factory's fault. It lies on both the agressor(child) and the legal guardians(parents).
Until people stop being selfish and lazy and unresponsible for their own actions, nothing will improve.
Look at our own hobby! Someone releases a 15 foot cobra... do they find and punish the owner? No, its the hobby's fault. It's the state's place to outlaw cobras.
wolfy

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Now when i was a kid if i ever talked to my mother the way some kids do now,i would not be able to write this today;) .She would have just plain knocked me out! Parents even think about correcting there children they are arrested and prosecuted for child abuse :mad: !

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Um...knocking a child out most definitely IS child abuse.

I've dealt with messes like this while in school and having worked in schools for years now. I have also been part of "lock down" procedures while on the fire dept. Shoot not a week after 9/11 we did a lock down on the high school...it was just plain sickening! It turned out to be a student AND adult involved in the so called false threat...something of that nature is in no way just a prank.

Who's to blame...that's tough to answer. I have zero experience raising children, but I know that if a child is going to get any sense of value and self worth they are going to get in the first few years and the most important people to get that from is family. On the flipside now days teens and children can threaten their parents if they try and discipline them and in many cases the parents ARE found guilty.

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Originally Posted by SarahMB

Um...knocking a child out most definitely IS child abuse.

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ah yes....but there was once a time when parents were abled to enforce disiplinary action on their own child. Now, a spanking to put a child it its place is considered "abusive" and parents are being imprisoned for "abuse"...kids think they run the world now because maw and paw can't givem some of that good ol' "put you in your place hand across the face because i'm the boss not you" disipline.

As for the "put god back in school" comment...(I know Judy, i'm trying not to make a "debate" out of it...just my POV is all)

The United States of America is made up of hundreds of different ethnicities. People from all over the world with different religions and different beliefs have come here to make the U.S. what it is. When a PUBLIC school is forced to "put god back in", you would then be forcing other people to practice a religion they do not normally follow.

I don't think you would be happy if Muslims made a big to-do about religion in public schools, and then every morning before class you're forced to bow down to Allah. We'll see how much crime goes down then.

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Originally Posted by SarahMB

Um...knocking a child out most definitely IS child abuse.

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I guess i should have worded this a little differantly then this.Since i was unable to use a three letter word to make my point about what my mother would have knocked me on if i spoke to her the way kids do now.Now i do not mean you have to beat your kid to make them mind,just a little of the "old school" disipline would go along way;) .

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

As for the "put god back in school" comment...(I know Judy, i'm trying not to make a "debate" out of it...just my POV is all)

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Just to clarify something here....that's all a "debate" is...is everyone sharing their POV. My point was to NOT share your POV on this topic. Not because I have anything against it...but because these sorts of things quickly get turned from "debate" into "all out war." :colbert:

I understand.

Gosh, seems everyone on here has made a valid good point.

As a mother of a 16yo in HS in a 'burb outside of our beloved Nations Capital I to deal w/ the seeming unending of violence in our schools. Here on a daily I have to worry about students who may come into the school armed and ready, a big worry here is the gangs w/ MS13 being a huge problem.
It can be very taxing on a good day.

I will say and have always said it begins and ends at home. Society has become so dependent on the Govt.,schools,law enforcement and the courts to handle , monitor and discipline our children instead of doing it yourself.
They want govt to monitor what is on TV, music, radio etc instead of parents being involved in what there children do and watch and listen to.
Parents need to be involved in their childrens lives.

As for not spanking your children for fear they will report you is true but crazy. As a very last resort when my son was young I would spank him, one day he said to me he was gonna called child services, so I handed him the phone and told him soon as he hung up go pack his clothes cause he was leaving w/ them when thay came. I never heard another peep.
Sometimes we as parents need to remind children who is in charge.

I feel for parents everywhere as these are troubling times indeed.

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Just to clarify something here....that's all a "debate" is...is everyone sharing their POV. My point was to NOT share your POV on this topic. Not because I have anything against it...but because these sorts of things quickly get turned from "debate" into "all out war."

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Judy, a debate is actually "A formal contest of argumentation in which two opposing teams defend and attack a given proposition."

No one has done that....yet...;)

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Parents need to be involved in their childrens lives.

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I like this line alot and it could not be more true.

I did not start this thread to let it become a war or a argument so please keep it under control.

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Originally Posted by jotay

one day he said to me he was gonna called child services, so I handed him the phone and told him soon as he hung up go pack his clothes cause he was leaving w/ them when thay came. I never heard another peep.

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:rofl:

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Originally Posted by jotay

he said to me he was gonna called child services, so I handed him the phone and told him soon as he hung up go pack his clothes cause he was leaving w/ them when thay came. I never heard another peep.
Sometimes we as parents need to remind children who is in charge.

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Man if my mom said that to me when I threatened her that would have totally put me in my place now too.

In my household I'm basically the one in charge. It's really sad... I make things easy on my parents at least by being a good kid.

I completely agree with the whole old school discipline too. A little smack on the bum or to the back of the head when a kid is REALLY disbehaving is alright in my book. I dont think thats abuse at all. You warn your child verbally a few times and if he's still being a hell raiser then you just have to use your hand.

On the original topic of kids bringing guns to school and making threats...thats just really sad. I dont even know why kids think it's funny or it'll help or what their reasoning behind it is...

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Originally Posted by jotay

I will say and have always said it begins and ends at home. Society has become so dependent on the Govt.,schools,law enforcement and the courts to handle , monitor and discipline our children instead of doing it yourself.
They want govt to monitor what is on TV, music, radio etc instead of parents being involved in what there children do and watch and listen to.
Parents need to be involved in their childrens lives.

As for not spanking your children for fear they will report you is true but crazy. As a very last resort when my son was young I would spank him, one day he said to me he was gonna called child services, so I handed him the phone and told him soon as he hung up go pack his clothes cause he was leaving w/ them when thay came. I never heard another peep.
Sometimes we as parents need to remind children who is in charge.

I feel for parents everywhere as these are troubling times indeed.

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:rockon::salute::sweeet::gj::handshake:clap::w00t:

My school is worse.All those gangbangers.They stand right outside at luch and smoke in front of everybody.

I don't mind spanking, but parents have to figure out where to 'hit em where it hurts'. I could spank my daughter all day with little effect on her, but if I sit her where she does not get any attention and she straightens up pretty quick. Of course sometimes it requires a favorite toy to be taken away. The point being that you have to know your kids, and be active in their lives. Kids need to learn that the luxury that they live in is a exactly that... a luxury. An Xbox, computer access and designer clothes are way above and beyond basic essentials.

I've been listening very closely how some parents discipline their teenage kids and taking notes. My favorite was of a high school age girl. I can't remember her offense right now, but it was extreme. They cleaned out her room except for the bed and dresser. They left her one outfit, which had to be cleaned daily. (And for a teenage girl that has to hit pretty hard) As her good behavior continued, she was able to 'earn back' all her clothes and things. Some minor offenses were treated with parents dancing and singing in public places. Right now we are working on positive feedback and having goals, but I have really good kids. I try to be thankful for that, even when they are bickering. ;)

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

ah yes....but there was once a time when parents were abled to enforce disiplinary action on their own child. Now, a spanking to put a child it its place is considered "abusive" and parents are being imprisoned for "abuse"...kids think they run the world now because maw and paw can't givem some of that good ol' "put you in your place hand across the face because i'm the boss not you" disipline.

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Well, I'm one of those people that think hitting in any form is abuse. There is no need to hurt a child to teach proper behavior. If a person hits an adult, they are charged with assault, with good reason. I don't see why the rules should be different for children. Good parenting skills are more effective than physical intimidation, a fact backed up by many studies.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

My favorite was of a high school age girl. I can't remember her offense right now, but it was extreme. They cleaned out her room except for the bed and dresser. They left her one outfit, which had to be cleaned daily. (And for a teenage girl that has to hit pretty hard) As her good behavior continued, she was able to 'earn back' all her clothes and things.

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wow that's a good one.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

As for the "put god back in school" comment...(I know Judy, i'm trying not to make a "debate" out of it...just my POV is all)

The United States of America is made up of hundreds of different ethnicities. People from all over the world with different religions and different beliefs have come here to make the U.S. what it is. When a PUBLIC school is forced to "put god back in", you would then be forcing other people to practice a religion they do not normally follow.

I don't think you would be happy if Muslims made a big to-do about religion in public schools, and then every morning before class you're forced to bow down to Allah. We'll see how much crime goes down then.

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That is how I was raised, which is why I encourage it:) . If anyone would like to talk "gods" then I would be happy to make a specific thread.... Kids "these days" have a heavier influence from music, tv, and so on... The public schools have also become more liberal in there teachings. There is also an overall increase in divorce. Stats show a whopping 50% of America is divorced!! With all these negative influences, it's no wonder why children are growing up immoral.... BTW, I'm not here to personally offend anyone, but rather share my humble opinion. This is what a debate is about though.

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Originally Posted by SarahMB

Well, I'm one of those people that think hitting in any form is abuse. There is no need to hurt a child to teach proper behavior. If a person hits an adult, they are charged with assault, with good reason. I don't see why the rules should be different for children. Good parenting skills are more effective than physical intimidation, a fact backed up by many studies.

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I do agree with you after thinking about what Christie has said:

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parents have to figure out where to 'hit em where it hurts'. I could spank my daughter all day with little effect on her, but if I sit her where she does not get any attention and she straightens up pretty quick. Of course sometimes it requires a favorite toy to be taken away.

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I love watching that TV show, The Nanny i think it is..i can't remembet the name, but a british "nanny" comes in and points out all of the things that parents are doing wrong and usually by the end of the show the children are acting somewhat normal...it's amazing what taking away privileges do to children :)

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

I do agree with you after thinking about what Christie has said:



I love watching that TV show, The Nanny i think it is..i can't remembet the name, but a british "nanny" comes in and points out all of the things that parents are doing wrong and usually by the end of the show the children are acting somewhat normal...it's amazing what taking away privileges do to children :)

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Super Nanny? :D

It's a good thing I'm in a private school...

okay, i have some pretty strong views on this topic. so, here goes in the shortest possible way (you can thank me later LOL)

i believe a lot of the changes are happening (when it comes to how kids are growing up) because both parents are working. so many babies are in daycare... with multiple day care workers as their daily role models. think about it, you have a baby and some person making minimum wage who you don't even really know if teaching your child what is right and wrong. it's pretty scarey! society needs to change, to make allowances for moms (or dads) to stay at home and parent/raise their children instead of turning their kids into jobs for others.

and when it comes to discipline. i never hit my kids. i don't have to. i do this amazing thing... wanna know what it is? i talk to them... i know i know you are thinking WTF is she saying here? talk to them? that's crazy! well let me tell you... it really works!

i sit down... and we discuss calmly whatever has happened. we share our feelings, our thoughts and in the end... everything is good. IF someone is too upset to talk... we take some time, sitting alone in our room (yup that's mom included here) and calm down, gather our thoughts and then we sit down and talk calmly.

i believe that by showing my kids, thru my own actions, that situations can be resolved by being calm and articulate - that they will mirror this within their own lives.

example: today my son broke one our drinking cups. it's handmade pottery - $15 a cup. this is the second one he's broken because he sets them too close to the edge of the counter when he's doing dishes and he knocks them off the counter. so i hear the smash and go into the kitchen to find him and his friend looking back at me. (his friend looked scared) and i said, "oh well, get a broom before you step on any of those pieces and cut yourself... oh and son, for now on please remember to place those cups further in on the counter... that way they won't get knocked off" now he started getting a little mouthy (he is almost 13 after all and in front of his buddy LOL) and i said to him very calmly, "hold on a second... you just broke my cup, that i paid for, and i'm asking you to be more careful in the future... i would hope you'd be happy that i'm not upset and yelling at you - but instead you are getting mouthy? if you'd like i can react differently."

he immediately closed his mouth and cleaned up the mess.

if necc. i always remind them that i can choose to parent differently, but instead i prefer to treat them like equals. i can, at any time, change that parenting strategy if they wish. that always snaps them back into reality LOL

Wow! These kids are out of control. People arrest them and do every thing that they can but it just doesn't work. There was something simalar at a school close to mine,it was 2 kids who were going to bomb the school(middle)and they had 2 guns in thier lockers and was arested immediately.

back when I was in middle school someone called all the local radio stations and when they were on the air said they were going to blow up our school. They locked us down and then moved us a few hundred feet away into the k-3 school. SO we basically sat in their little gym (all the students from the school) for the entire day and nothing happened.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

I love watching that TV show, The Nanny i think it is..i can't remembet the name, but a british "nanny" comes in and points out all of the things that parents are doing wrong and usually by the end of the show the children are acting somewhat normal...it's amazing what taking away privileges do to children :)

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Haha, yup, those TV nannies use a lot of the same methods I use, and they really work well.

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Originally Posted by jotay

Gosh, seems everyone on here has made a valid good point.


As a very last resort when my son was young I would spank him, one day he said to me he was gonna called child services, so I handed him the phone and told him soon as he hung up go pack his clothes cause he was leaving w/ them when thay came. I never heard another peep.
Sometimes we as parents need to remind children who is in charge.

I feel for parents everywhere as these are troubling times indeed.

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Remember doing that with Lars. Last time the problem came up. Except family services did show up and I told them either I discipline him or they take him right now.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i believe a lot of the changes are happening (when it comes to how kids are growing up) because both parents are working. so many babies are in daycare... with multiple day care workers as their daily role models. think about it, you have a baby and some person making minimum wage who you don't even really know if teaching your child what is right and wrong. it's pretty scarey! society needs to change, to make allowances for moms (or dads) to stay at home and parent/raise their children instead of turning their kids into jobs for others.

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I agree with you on this, to a point. I don't actually think it's the fault of parents working or daycare, I think the problems start when working parents stop daycare to save money. So the kids become latchkey kids instead of being supervised after school. But of course, not all latchkey kids become criminals, so there must be other factors involved.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

ah yes....but there was once a time when parents were abled to enforce disiplinary action on their own child. Now, a spanking to put a child it its place is considered "abusive" and parents are being imprisoned for "abuse"...kids think they run the world now because maw and paw can't givem some of that good ol' "put you in your place hand across the face because i'm the boss not you" disipline.

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I AGREE. I think physical discipline IS VERY important because I know for alot of kids, stuff like grounding, etc, taking away material things, IS NOTHING compared to a good ole' smack upside the head.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

I AGREE. I think physical discipline IS VERY important because I know for alot of kids, stuff like grounding, etc, taking away material things, IS NOTHING compared to a good ole' smack upside the head.

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Ditto that!! I hate to get poped upside the head...or do bleachers...or wind sprints...or horses...or updowns..or araides.....ETC..lol.

People blame society; etc.. what happened to holding the kid accountable for what he/she does? Kids are humans too; just as capable of deviousness and violence as an adult. But kids' brains are not fully formed and they don't have as much rationale as an adult, that's true.. but I see so many awful kids in, say, the grocery store; screaming for this or that, and the parent gives in.. I shudder as I see the future criminals of tomorrow, who were never taught that they can't do certain things, or that there will be consequences for their actions.
When many parents are still not adults themselves (at least mentally) it is no surprise that this happens.

im glad im in a private Christian school. nothing as far as threats, guns, etc. happens at my school. we never even have fights. i believe God definitely has a big effect in schools with stopping violoence, etc.

for physically punishing a child i believe you spare the rod you spoil a child.

Only thing that matters is how you raise your kids. If you raise your kid on doing what is right, chances are the kid will do the right thing. Every once in a while they may do something foolish to see if they can get away with it.


Being in the career field of Explosive Ordnance Disposal, a lot of these threats at schools ususually happen after an incident else were in the country. Most times kids do to get out of school. We had 3 calls in 3 days about a bomb in school. Thank god the police didn't find any because that means I have to put my life on the line to take care of it.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

When many parents are still not adults themselves (at least mentally) it is no surprise that this happens.

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Well said!



Everyone has there own way to discipline their children and whatever works for them and theirs is the right thing. The important thing is they are involved and that they have discipline in their child/childrens lives.

I noticed something though, when comparing my little niece's life with mine when I was her age. She is showered, I mean SHOWERED, with toys. The kid hardly has time to pick up one toy when someone's shoving another one in her face, lol. I see this with most of the kids of my family/friends; not even an issue of them being wealthy. The lower-income people I see shower their kids w/ toys nonetheless; cheaper toys from the dollar store, but the same difference. I go into alot of households with Mark, collecting rent; it staggers me that both low and higher income peoples' homes are FILLED with toys that the kids never touch!!
Now when I was a kid (gee, I feel old and I'm only 25 lol!) I had to earn things. I collected My Little Ponies, and I would save my allowance (which was earned through chores) and get one. Each one was special to me, in addition to my Barbie dolls, etc. I think that it really gave me a sense of earning things; sadly many kids (and their grownup people) think that they are entitled to things and this translates into doing whatever they want.
I don't think religion means anything in this debate; it's morals. I know many cases where religious teens/adults did heinous things; they had no basic MORALS. This is what people lack; until more parents get more mature (again, not talking about age; talking about mental maturity) we are doomed.
If people wonder why violence/crime increases.. well, the population is increasing. So logically, the cross-section of violent/unstable people is higher.

I think the main thing with all of these threats is caused by kids being bullyed. I see that kind of stuff everyday where a student is bullyed non stop and he will make threats to the students. You dont have these type of threats caused by a student that simply wants to be 'cool'. The students that are trying to impress everyone will typically start fights with other students and at my school, that is a huge problem. We have 7 high schools and 36 schools in all in just our DISTRICT alone and my school has had the most fights and even with the increase of security, nothing has slowed them down. They have added 4 armed and certified MCSO officers at my school. I personally dont think that increase in security will stop the fights as they have not slowed but since they did that towards the end of last year, we have not had any threats at all.
I know most of that probably has nothing todo with what your all talking about but Ill post it anyways.

Just want to say that I'm with you, mmchoppers and mr~python!

Steve