Every
generation seems to think that theirs is the worse yet. And when it comes to
children, there isn’t a generation in history that has had the boorish, rude
and generally obnoxious children that this particular one has. Or so the
thinking goes. You may have heard the famous saying, attributed to Socrates
that goes something like this: “Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents,
gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.” No need to remind you
that Socrates lived over 20 centuries ago!! Come to think of it, the great
philosopher was killed by those whom he taught; probably the children he spoke
of who had become adults by that time!
Fox
News recently reported about a city ordinance that is now being considered by
the Wisconsin legislature. According to the report, the city is considering
fining parents if their children act as bullies. The fines were not specified,
but the idea is that the city police force will enforce the statutes and, as
the report put it, come to your house if necessary to ensure that you pay the
penalty for your children’s bad behavior. Of course, if we know anything about
parenting at all, it is that parents not only should be held accountable, but
are in fact accountable for their children’s behavior.