What's the Matter With Kids These Days?

I debated about publishing this post today.  I was worried that I would be perceived as judgmental, or worse, like my opinions are those of a ninety-year-old woman.  Heaven forbid.

My boy has been back at school for a mere four days since Christmas break, not including the past four days which have been canceled due to snow.  In that span of time, he has come home complaining about conflicts with a few of the boys, and repeating countless tales of insanity committed by his peers over the holidays.  To be honest, it makes it really hard for me to like some of these kids.

My son is fortunate to have a great group of friends... ones that the hubby I and approve of, if you know what I mean.  Not only do we like the boys, we genuinely like their parents too.  I never realized how important this would be until I became a parent myself.

That said, there are also a handful of kids that I could happily do without.  I recently had one boy tell me that he wanted to watch a certain movie that was, at the time, still playing at the movie theater.  Now bear in mind, he didn't want to go to the movies.  He wanted to watch this particular movie at our house.

I gently reminded the child that the movie was still playing at the theater and therefore, it would be impossible to watch it at our house.  His response... "But I want to watch it NOW! Get it for me!"  To which I replied, "It's not going to happen.  Pick something else."  The child walked off to go sulk in another room.

Even worse, I had a boy tell me, "Go get your purse.  You're going to take us (meaning he and my son) to Five Guys.  I want to eat a burger."  I was completely taken aback by his statement.  After I regained a portion of my composure, I stammered, "I, I, I don't think we will be going to go to Five Guys right now."  He let out a disgusted sigh and walked off.

In addition, I have had other boys snatch my MacBook off my lap and start walking off with it, dig through my purse looking for my cell phone, and start playing an online game on the PS3 right after I told them that the whole online thing was off limits.  It's enough to make me want to scream.

I will be the first one to admit that in situations like these, I don't always respond in the way that I would like to.  I often catch myself standing there, mouth ajar, dumbfounded as to why a ten-year-old would behave in that manner.  When the shock has worn off and I am finally able to speak, I end up having to resist the urge to smack the culprits upside the head and then throw them out of my house. 

Our boy knows that he is never allowed to be disrespectful to an adult, especially an adult that happens to be one of his friend's parents.  Talk about ensuring that you never get invited back again...  It just shouldn't happen.  EVER.

When away from home, the boy has been instructed to follow all of our rules plus those of the other family.  He is to address grownups as "Sir" or "Ma'am" unless invited by that person to do otherwise.  The words "Please" and "Thank you" should be flowing so freely from his mouth that his hosts grow tired of hearing it.

It's just what the hubby and I expect.  Call us old fashioned. 

I am amazed by the sheer lack of manners demonstrated by many of my son's peers.  There also seems to be this pervasive attitude that a parent's sole purpose is to fulfill the child's every whim. I realize this may not be the case in every community, but it certainly seems to be a popular point of view around here.

Who knew that not allowing my nine-year-old to play PS3 games online with a bunch of foul-mouthed strangers would earn me the title of Overly Protective Parent and simultaneously make my boy feel like an outcast among his peers.  Since when did treating people with common courtesy become the exception and not the rule?   

To be honest, it's a little bit scary.  If not for the help of my hubby and guidance from above, I would grab my boy, bundle him securely in bubble wrap and lock him in his room to protect him from all harm.  Doesn't that sound safe?

Since that brilliant plan isn't really an option, I have decided to do something far better...  Pray, listen, pray, talk, pray, listen more, pray...  With Him on our side, I will not fear the tangled and bumpy road that winds from childhood to adulthood.  I will look forward to the journey.