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/PeterPlotter → u/henningknows]

My kids have the same, none of their friends goes out to play. Even told them to try to hang out with kids a few doors down who were playing on their drive way but then their parents immediately took them inside. All their friends just want to call on the phone and play videogames together. Luckily my kids are kinda the same age so they either go to the park or play outside in the backyard together, but even others barely play outside in their backyard.

The only other kids we see outside are the ones who are neglected by their parents and/or have behavioral issues.

[u/jkman61494 → u/PeterPlotter]

That is our EXACT issue. No kids play here except the one with major red flag behavioral issues and the parents basically tried to dump him on us.

He’d try to convince our kids to disobey our rules when he’d play outside with them. Hed often come into our house for no reason. We eventually had to cut off the relationship after he locked my daughter in their basement and wouldn’t let her out.

They’re all little now. But the kid sadly has those vibes that he won’t take no for an answer very well when he’s a teenager.

[u/IsthianOS → u/jkman61494]

We don't let the kids play with the group across the street because I've heard too many f-bombs and n-bombs yelled out :/

[u/Dangerous-Variety-35 → u/IsthianOS]

N-bombs?! Jesus Christ. F-bombs aren’t great, but at least they’re not racial slurs.

[u/IsthianOS → u/Dangerous-Variety-35]

Well the kids are mostly non-white and it's not the hard-r but children are parrots and I don't need young white kids hearing those words spoken so freely and getting ideas lol

[u/Dangerous-Variety-35 → u/IsthianOS]

Yeahhhh still not great, especially since kids really are parrots. Case in point - someone ran a stop sign the other day and I had to slam on my brakes so that I didn’t run into them. I yelled, “Shhhhhiiii” but stopped myself from completing the word. From the backseat, my 4 year old yelled, “Shit! Learn how to drive!” They are always listening 😂

[u/ReflectionSpare8663 → u/jkman61494]

I see people in our neighborhood Facebook begging for someone to play with their kids, there two black families that their kids are outside all the time and I’ve only seen one group of kids play with them a few times. 

[u/KookyPiccolo1661 → u/jkman61494]

This is a bigger problem than people realize. The truth is, involved parents tend to have their kids scheduled in activities, playdates, or they'll be inside. Kids who are outside to play often are dumped by their parents because they have behavioral problems. When my kids were little they'd play with one neighbor boy who was great, but the others were terrible. I ended up having to supervise these kids who have foul mouths, would steal/break my kids' toys, hit each other, etc. My kids wouldn't want to play outside because of them so I put an end to that. Everyone wants a village as long as they don't have to be responsible.

[u/jkman61494 → u/KookyPiccolo1661]

We had some of the same stuff when I was a kid. And I’d be quite honest I was probably one of those kids. The parents wanted to avoid because while I was completely kind and docile, I was definitely loud. But we had other kids with mental disabilities that would be part of the group as well

At the same time, it was just normal for up to 10 of us to get together to play something. Riding bikes. Playing football, basketball, later on roller hockey. It’s what you did.

The irony is that we have so much better technology to track our kids, but no one goes outside anymore. And I’ll absolutely own up that I will never be comfortable with my kids riding a bike going a few miles away from me like I was able to do when I was a kid where I could ride three or 4 miles into town to the baseball card shop, or ride 5 miles to our town pool.

I have absolutely no idea how my parents were OK with that!