[mpillow]

....at least in my neck of the woods....

So I started working at a local daycare---beautiful facility BTW

The babies are wonderful....but the school age kids (read parental responsibility) are just horrible....I cannot even fathom having ANY of them into my home for 2 minutes....:hair:hair:hair

The parents pick them up and say "hurry up we have to get to football/dance"...when's dinner?

Just not any effective parenting/respect/training going on with these kids...and the parents say things like "my Johnny didnt do that....and I'm always on the run, I just want to stay home"....

Stay home, make dinner and give up all the consumerism that's eating you and your kids life away....and teach the kids to READ a book! (quietly!)

Morning shift with the babies for me! PLEASE!

((These kids will never survive SHTF....the smallest of power outages could even be a deal breaker))

 

[secretcreek]

I truthfully get depressed by how weakened the youth/young adults really are. Everything's "boring" or "EuuuueeewW". So many are becoming gamers, gambler's and porn addicts now *(we own a ISP trust me, I can't believe how many young adults hole up with their internet connections...they begin to froth when I tell them our ISP has unlimited usage.) So many did not grow up playing outdoors, learning lessons by falling down... Phooey, one school district just took down their swing sets....too dangerous/ Insurance too high? I didn't even touch on the subject of Narcissism and blaming everyone else for one's mistakes.

-scrt

 

[Maura]

You know, Mpillow, I’ll bet those kids would be fascinated by a batch of cookies being made. Hand crank mixer, chocolate chips, warm cookies.

If you made sock puppets for the younger crowd, the older ones might enjoy learning how to make them.

Anyway, it makes me glad that our kids went to a little rural school where most kids didn’t have all the bells and whistles.

 

[TenBusyBees]

Neighbor's teeneged nephew came to visit them this past summer. At one point the nephew walked down and said that he and his uncle found a "hill of eggs" and wanted to know what to do with them. I told him since the eggs were in their flower bed they were entitled to enjoy them and explained how to float them to make sure they were good.

He was horrified at the suggestion of eating something that had been on the ground.

Gee, he'd had really freaked if had known HOW they actually got in their flowerbed.

(btw we got old school sesame street on netflix awhile back. WAY different than the libral agenda they have now. The old school ones Oscar was orange but they showed farms, and cows being milked, eggs being gathered, and pigs being slopped to become ham and bacon. Pretty sure peta wouldn't allow that kind of corruption now.)

 

[ovsfarm]

So what are we going to do about it? It's not the children's fault.

I started working at a local agrotourism farm and spent every day this week leading groups of preschoolers, kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders around teaching them about herbs, gardening, animals and farm life in general. I also spend 16+ weeks per year working with 4-H kids as a certified archery, shotgun and living history instructor.

The younger generation is not lost, if we can just reach out to them. Just because they are proficient with their iPhones and spend a lot of time on social media does not mean they are unteachable. I have a waiting list of kids wanting to take my living history class that covers primitive weapons.

These kids desperately need more people who are willing to teach them and able to share what "real" life is truly about. Looking back, what do we wish an older person had taken the time to teach us when we were young? I am doing my very best to try to share as much as I can with the kids. When I am old, they will be running things. I want to be sure that they at least have some idea that there is another way to live, another lifestyle worth pursuing.

 

[mpillow]

I'm gonna have to get to know them better before I ask "to do" anything....

Today was a teacher's day at PS and I had some "older boys" to watch along with my infant and they got unruly and I sat them on the couch and told them how respect was a two way street....and how I don't like to be the bad guy but I will if that's what THEY choose... I got some funny looks but I simply said "I mean it....".....proceeded to get many please and thank you's out of them after that. It was better than I expected...but still a lot of screaming and jumping on furniture and demands....
One kid even got me to say "sorry kiddo its not up for discussion or negotiation...period"...the other daycare employee got a kick out of that.

No more from the kid though...

Still no book reading!

 

[||Downhome||]

So what are we going to do about it? It's not the children's fault.

Let the week go their way, support those that show promise.

Same as the what do you do scenario.

Bob Comes in with a devastating head wound (half is missing) Betty has a arm severed, and Jim has minor internal bleeding... who do you save first?

Help those you can is what you do.

But... there are other forces at work.

So pick well!

Other wise some one you could of saved may be supplanted by the one you wanted to save.

That you never had a chance too!

(by the way its not the child's fault, but to interject except in times of abuse, actual abuse, not imagined well... did you not belive your parents when told about ???) hows about a stranger with a different take stepping in? Or between you and your children? Just saying.

Help who you can.

 

[Danaus29]

How old school was it that Oscar was orange? I was watching Sesame Street 40 years ago and Oscar was green back then.

I knew kids that were micromanged when I was in high school. Sports, jobs, social events. No down time. Even homework had to be put on a schedule. How most of them ever did homework I still don't know because the teachers really piled it on. Of course the kids in sports got a free pass on the homework so they never learned much of anything. I've always thought there was something wrong with parents who expected their kids to work 40 hours a week while still trying to go to school. They never saw their kids sleeping in class and passing only because they cheated. The parents were exhausted too. Both working full time and trying to keep up with kids activities. A lot never had any time for the kids. And they definitely didn't have any time to get outside and play with the kids. It's sad really. We're on the third or fourth generation of kids raising themselves and it's not going well.

 

[handymama]

Danaus I'm 27 and Oscar was green when I was a kid. Cookie monster only eats cookies as treats now. He likes fruits and veggietabuls.

 

[TenBusyBees]

How old school was it that Oscar was orange? I was watching Sesame Street 40 years ago and Oscar was green back then.

First year the show aired he was orange, 1969.

 

[copperkid3]

Oscar the Grouch through the years . . . his transformation.

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Oscar_the_Grouch_Through_the_Years

 

[dizzy]

When my kids were little, they wanted to do karate and everything else under the sun. I let them do the karate because I figured that was something they could actually use. Then, they were allowed one other activity and that was it. I had no desire to have them (or me) run ragged going from one activity to the next. I knew kids that were basically burned out by the time they hit 12 from too many activities.

 

[Danaus29]

Got it, he was orange before I started watching.

 

[triana1326]

This is a rough subject for me. I have two kids ages 4 and 6, who can be the most well behaved little monsters out there (and I say this with all the love in my heart for them). My husband and I are trying to raise them as best as we can, which means some serious sacrifice on our parts. I'm a stay at home mom, we live very simply, and we both grew up with families who basically were on-the-grid homesteaders.

Our society in general gives us insanely contradictory messages. I allow my kids to free-range within certain boundaries. They can explore our property alone, but aren't allowed to go into the woods without an adult yet. My 6 year old daughter is responsible enough to cross the street in front of our house, but she has to ask permission from us first. But I can't tell you how many times our elderly neighbors yell at us about our "unattended kids". We are told to let our kids explore on their own, yet mothers are jailed and kids taken away from their families because of overzealous people reporting that these kids are being neglected or abandoned. What's a parent to do when they want their kids to gain self confidence and awareness of their environment when they're afraid of having their kids taken from them by DHHS/CPS?

Manners…while my kids behave themselves rather well for their ages, they have their moments. My daughter was having a rough transition when she first started attending public school - she'd never been daycare and didn't really learn the social rules of school (stand in line, raise your hand, ask for the bathroom, etc.) She was terrified to ride the bus after the driver shouted at her to stop talking to the kids she was riding with. What is a parent supposed to do when the school rules require a kid to sit down and shut up for 8 hours, and then be completely silent on a 45 minute ride home? I'm sorry, but we don't ask adults to do that - why should we expect kids to be able to do it? And when I can hear the driver yelling at the kids from 100 yards away INSIDE my house, that's not acceptable to me. I did call the bus company and lodged a complaint, but she also wrote an apology note to the driver for breaking the rules.

We demand a lot of kids that we wouldn't stand for as adults. We tell them to take their work home with them and to spend hours of overtime each night to complete it. We require small kids who are naturally little bundles of squirming energy, who are brimming with curiosity and still learning impulse control, to sit still and be silent for 8 hours or more. We expect the worst behaviors from kids and act surprised when we get those behaviors…because we're expecting kids to act like adults. Heck, if my 6 year old daughter doesn't complete the mountains of papers she's given each day in class, she's not allowed to go out for recess. I'm up in arms about this. I understand the concept is to teach her time management and getting your work done…but isn't there a better solution than taking away recess? The one time a day where she can run around and work out all that pent up energy, socialize with her peers, and just be herself?? We've asked the teacher to send home the work she doesn't complete so that we can do it here because I'm not okay with my child being denied her 20 minutes of fresh air and just being a kid.
I've also been on the other side of things. I did student teaching in college and substitute teaching on and off through the years. The overreactions by parents, the blame placed on teachers rather than the kids who were very obviously breaking the rules…I've seen it and experienced it. Teachers have a rough job and every parent seems to demand that their kid is treated like a precious little snowflake. It's a thankless job for these teachers to manage a balancing act on teaching kids what they need to learn and dealing with all the crap that goes with it. So as a parent, I'm trying to be very mindful of not adding to my kids' teachers problems, but it can be really hard snce the teachers are basically forced to teach to the "lowest common denominator" each day.

I'm hoping my ramblings make some sort of sense. I'm trying to fit a lot of thoughts into a topic that is very conflicting to me. Oh, and you'll be happy to know that not only can my 6 year old daughter cook and loves to read, over the summer, my DH taught her how to help with campfire management. She even has her own official "pokin' stick" now!:rock:

 

[mpillow]

I hear ya Triana....we do not expect the kids to be silent or to sit still but yelling, running, jumping on each other, the furniture or misusing toys....just cant be tolerated and it happens daily....especially the two who equal the lowest common denominator!

My kids were raised wild...we are "behind" our neighbors and cant be seen by them...but I would NEVER let them go to a public park unattended until older(like 13yo and not alone)...because of "child predator" fears. But there have also been times when a fox, raccoon or skunk was the "predator" in my yard...

 

[Danaus29]

I never could understand that concept, "you didn't do your classwork in class because you were too busy fidgeting so now you have to stay in and do your classwork and can't go out for recess". The teachers tried to do that to my dd too.

 

[GoldenCityMuse]

Really Really REALLY consider homeschool. Certainly while they are young. Children are not simply little adults.

Probably my best teaching tool ever was "Firewood". And it was not spend 30 minutes, it was get 5 loads, and they better be stacked neatly.

Everything is a teaching moment at home, and it is not really difficult, but takes some organization.

 

[stef]

This is a rough subject for me. I have two kids ages 4 and 6, who can be the most well behaved little monsters out there (and I say this with all the love in my heart for them). My husband and I are trying to raise them as best as we can, which means some serious sacrifice on our parts. I'm a stay at home mom, we live very simply, and we both grew up with families who basically were on-the-grid homesteaders.

Our society in general gives us insanely contradictory messages. I allow my kids to free-range within certain boundaries. They can explore our property alone, but aren't allowed to go into the woods without an adult yet. My 6 year old daughter is responsible enough to cross the street in front of our house, but she has to ask permission from us first. But I can't tell you how many times our elderly neighbors yell at us about our "unattended kids". We are told to let our kids explore on their own, yet mothers are jailed and kids taken away from their families because of overzealous people reporting that these kids are being neglected or abandoned. What's a parent to do when they want their kids to gain self confidence and awareness of their environment when they're afraid of having their kids taken from them by DHHS/CPS?

Manners…while my kids behave themselves rather well for their ages, they have their moments. My daughter was having a rough transition when she first started attending public school - she'd never been daycare and didn't really learn the social rules of school (stand in line, raise your hand, ask for the bathroom, etc.) She was terrified to ride the bus after the driver shouted at her to stop talking to the kids she was riding with. What is a parent supposed to do when the school rules require a kid to sit down and shut up for 8 hours, and then be completely silent on a 45 minute ride home? I'm sorry, but we don't ask adults to do that - why should we expect kids to be able to do it? And when I can hear the driver yelling at the kids from 100 yards away INSIDE my house, that's not acceptable to me. I did call the bus company and lodged a complaint, but she also wrote an apology note to the driver for breaking the rules.

We demand a lot of kids that we wouldn't stand for as adults. We tell them to take their work home with them and to spend hours of overtime each night to complete it. We require small kids who are naturally little bundles of squirming energy, who are brimming with curiosity and still learning impulse control, to sit still and be silent for 8 hours or more. We expect the worst behaviors from kids and act surprised when we get those behaviors…because we're expecting kids to act like adults. Heck, if my 6 year old daughter doesn't complete the mountains of papers she's given each day in class, she's not allowed to go out for recess. I'm up in arms about this. I understand the concept is to teach her time management and getting your work done…but isn't there a better solution than taking away recess? The one time a day where she can run around and work out all that pent up energy, socialize with her peers, and just be herself?? We've asked the teacher to send home the work she doesn't complete so that we can do it here because I'm not okay with my child being denied her 20 minutes of fresh air and just being a kid.
I've also been on the other side of things. I did student teaching in college and substitute teaching on and off through the years. The overreactions by parents, the blame placed on teachers rather than the kids who were very obviously breaking the rules…I've seen it and experienced it. Teachers have a rough job and every parent seems to demand that their kid is treated like a precious little snowflake. It's a thankless job for these teachers to manage a balancing act on teaching kids what they need to learn and dealing with all the crap that goes with it. So as a parent, I'm trying to be very mindful of not adding to my kids' teachers problems, but it can be really hard snce the teachers are basically forced to teach to the "lowest common denominator" each day.

I'm hoping my ramblings make some sort of sense. I'm trying to fit a lot of thoughts into a topic that is very conflicting to me. Oh, and you'll be happy to know that not only can my 6 year old daughter cook and loves to read, over the summer, my DH taught her how to help with campfire management. She even has her own official "pokin' stick" now!:rock:

Triana...I think you've made your own case for homeschooling. If my children were school-age no way would I allow them in the public school system. I know lots of home schooled kids: they are the most socially adept, self-disciplined, creative, intelligent, enjoyable people I know. Of the dozens of homeschooled children I know personally, only one of the parents had a teaching background. All the rest used readily available materials and received encouragement and practical support from those who had gone before.

 

[Txsteader]

There's a whole generation of kids that were raised on Ritalin, thanks to public school systems.......just to make the kids more 'manageable' doncha know.

The education system has gone so far off the rails in the last 40 years, it's sickening.

 

[sdnapier]

So what are we going to do about it? It's not the children's fault.

I started working at a local agrotourism farm and spent every day this week leading groups of preschoolers, kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders around teaching them about herbs, gardening, animals and farm life in general. I also spend 16+ weeks per year working with 4-H kids as a certified archery, shotgun and living history instructor.

The younger generation is not lost, if we can just reach out to them. Just because they are proficient with their iPhones and spend a lot of time on social media does not mean they are unteachable. I have a waiting list of kids wanting to take my living history class that covers primitive weapons.

These kids desperately need more people who are willing to teach them and able to share what "real" life is truly about. Looking back, what do we wish an older person had taken the time to teach us when we were young? I am doing my very best to try to share as much as I can with the kids. When I am old, they will be running things. I want to be sure that they at least have some idea that there is another way to live, another lifestyle worth pursuing.

I sent you a PM so as to not highjack