Why are teenagers today more obedient than teenagers in prior decades? (punishment, teaching)

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by kevxu

I grew up in the Forties, Fifties and early Sixties in a small town with a large percentage of working class people and no-nonsense immigrants. Tough parents, but "often beaten" was rarely in the picture, nor was "beaten" usual.

I grew up in the 60's and 70's, in a variety of places on military bases, and then my teen years were spent in a very small town.

Being beaten - with an object that left bruises or welts - was something I would say 50% of the boys and fewer of the girls experienced.

Even at school.

[MLSFan]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

This is actually kind of frightening. Did you mean it sarcastically? Because really, how awful for her to want to do nothing but lay in a big comfy bed in an air conditioned room watching TV.

I would think the child is actually profoundly bored. Profoundly.

door isn't locked, she could play the game of life by going outside

[redguitar77111]

Originally Posted by jet757f

Interesting marijuana has exceeded cigarette use.

Probably because they think cigarettes = bad smell, black lungs, disease, and death while they think marijuana = solidarity with the victims of mass incarceration and honoring the hippies.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

I grew up in the 60's and 70's, in a variety of places on military bases, and then my teen years were spent in a very small town.

Being beaten - with an object that left bruises or welts - was something I would say 50% of the boys and fewer of the girls experienced.

Even at school.

Interesting to read. I can think of one kid, a farm kid with an older, brutal father who did smack his kids, and fairly often I believe, and they did have marks. Never saw marks on another kid, and we were naked together changing for gym and in showers. I heard of a few poor kids - down by the tracks stuff - being taken away from their parents and put into the County Home. But this was very, very unusual.

Being slapped or spanked at school, much less beaten would have gotten the person who did it in a whole lot of trouble. Our grade school principal was reputed to be a slapper, and I heard that he got visited by irate fathers who made it plain what was in store for him if it happened again.

Parents, some at least, would slap a kid or give him a punch on the shoulder for really bad behavior, but nothing I would call a beating. A beating is something a couple of furious high school guys might give each other in a fight.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by MLSFan

maybe instead of taking away the gadgets as punishment, take away the a/c and comfy bed?
they can live without a toy, but not without comfort

grounded = sleeping on a cot in the hot garage?

One of the kids has a heat allergy. We've actually had to make a plan for what to do if the power's ever out for more than an hour or two in the summer, or if the AC has to be repaired, because she gets hives all over, starts losing her voice and gets very nauseated. So no hot garage for her, we'd end up in the ER.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

This is actually kind of frightening. Did you mean it sarcastically? Because really, how awful for her to want to do nothing but lay in a big comfy bed in an air conditioned room watching TV.

I would think the child is actually profoundly bored. Profoundly.

That's not all she does, but it's how she usually spends her free time. Watching TV, drawing pictures, coloring on things with Sharpies, watching makeup tutorials and trying them, using social media, playing games, etc. She's usually eager to go places when we ask (to show the world her blue hair and elf ears), but at home if she's not doing school work or chores or exercising, she's in her room or her sister's room, doing the stuff listed above.

[Sundaydrive00]

Originally Posted by jet757f

Interesting marijuana has exceeded cigarette use.

Only because cigarette use has gone drastically, and marijuana use has stayed about the same.

[Annie1004]

Perhaps it's the way one is raised, but I and my siblings were taught excellent manners, ethics and respect for our elders when we were growing up in the 1960s. In fact, we were pretty obedient... or else! And we had lots of outside activities we loved. (Traditional stay-at-home mother in an intact marriage supported by father.)

[jet757f]

Originally Posted by redguitar77111

Probably because they think cigarettes = bad smell, black lungs, disease, and death while they think marijuana = solidarity with the victims of mass incarceration and honoring the hippies.

hahahahaha because they like to get high!!!

marijuana=skunk smell!!

I'm all for marijuana at the right time.
The problem is kids in high school getting it and then not wanting to do anything including school.

[ackmondual]

AFAIK... the internet?
1) More knowledge spread about various experiences. They know what to avoid, or discuss it with peers (on the internet, ya never know, but supposedly anyways)
.
2) They can SEE it unfold. You can see a person's brain get scrapped off a roadway from drunk or very careless driver. See a video of Jackass-like stunts, see the stunt people get really hurt, and think that perhaps it's not such a great idea to see how many times you can take a bat to the head. Or, they see it, and "now they know"
.
3) Porn. Don't need to potentially get in trouble to see naked girls, and go through all of that planning. Also with sexual situations unfold
.
4) Not being able to access internet. I know some parents who punish their kids by taking away their phones, or turning off THEIR wifi router (the parents get their own dedicated one). I recall in the 80s and 90s, losing phone, TV, or video gaming privileges can suck. Well, nowadays, modern cell phones make calls, but it's also all about internet access so they can also text, chat, go online, and do the social media. In this day in age, that can be "social death". And since most of them can't drive (there may be 1 or so states where driving privileges are as young as 14 to 16), without a smartphone and/or internet, they're completely out of the loop
.
5) many kids do smartphone games. The freemium/free-to-play stuff uses up battery and data for ads and tracking, but still, not costing any actual money does make them popular for them, as well as adults. Not just losing gaming privileges, but playing these games probably occupies a good chunk of time otherwise
.
6) Akin to video gaming, social media probably also has the same effect