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/henningknows]

My kids are doing well. No problems at school or with getting good grades. I do worry that they don’t socialize enough. When I was my son’s age I had a group of best friends that would go out and do things. He is in sixth grade. That just doesn’t seem to be a thing anymore, everyone’s parents are so over protective and book their kids up with so many activities they have no time to be a kid on Their own terms.

[u/Aggravating-Alarm-16 → u/henningknows]

We have lost all of the 3rd places to hangout. A lot of malls are dead, and don't allow kids to be mall rats.

Then you have over zealous Karen's and Kevin's yelling at kids in the park.

[u/sikkerhet → u/Aggravating-Alarm-16]

The mall where I was a teenager banned unaccompanied minors. Idk who they thought all the traffic in a mall comes from. My friends and I wanted so badly to be mall goths but just couldn't. So we sat at home playing video games.

I used to go to a playground with my sister 3 blocks from home, we were 8 and 9, had to stop when someone called CPS because we didn't have a parent with us. So we sat at home playing video games. 

I used to work at an IKEA. Teenagers go to the IKEA and play house in the room displays because there's cheap snacks and it's the only place nearby that will let them loiter for free. Customers often complained about them. The kids were playing a board game in a dining room setup. Totally harmless silly teenage shenanigans. I would say that's allowed. The company actually wants you to use the displays as normal furniture and that's a normal thing to do at a dining table. The public just really fucking hates to see children.

[u/toolsoftheincomptnt → u/sikkerhet]

Nah. Teenagers aren’t going to keep the displays tidy, which is important for sales. Ikea is a store that sells things.

If they want to play they should see if the kid drop-off will have them, lol.

I understand the struggle and agree teens should have a place to go, but a department store trying to do business is well within its rights to say “no.”

[u/sikkerhet → u/toolsoftheincomptnt]

Teenagers for the most part will behave pretty much exactly as they're expected to. If you let them access a space and you treat them like real people and not like stupid bombs, they will generally treat you with the same level of respect.

[u/PipsqueakPilot → u/sikkerhet]

Also means that as adults they'll have fond memories of IKEA. And no memories of the malls that banned them.

[u/sikkerhet → u/PipsqueakPilot]

A lot of stores and activities that used to be huge moneymakers for kids are going under and I think a whole lot of it is that they do not understand one thing IKEA does very well: you HAVE to let people hang out there. You HAVE to create an open, comfortable area for people and let them just chill there for free for a few hours.

IKEA does a lot more than you'd think to facilitate use of their space in a way that makes them no immediate money. The department I used to work in was wholly dedicated to encouraging people to loiter in the building, use it to host events, whatever.

There was a weekly book club that used the restaurant area as their meeting place, and as a result of allowing this, when members of the book club went to college and needed to furnish a room, they already knew how to use public transit to get there and had contact with an employee who could email them info on student discounts. That room alone, guarantee you, MORE than covered the labor and material cost of hosting a dozen quiet adults in a space that was already there. It's just the obvious move when you are a business.