Generation Y

While going through some news this morning, using various avenues of clicking, something caught my eye and immediately alarmed me.  Teen girls getting pregnant to score auditions for reality Teen Pregnancy shows.

WHAT THE F!@# ARE THEY THINKING?  And WHERE are their parents in this?!!! 

Has our society REALLY gone THAT far off the deep end?  The answer is: yes. Yes, it has.  I may or may not have mentioned in a previous post (and I'm too lazy to go back and search for it...I'll explain later) that my generation and I believe this can be said for future generations, if the madness does not stop, that we are an "entitled" generation. We believe (I use "we" loosely of course as many of my friends and I do not think like this...) that we are entitled to special treatment. This entitlement is seen more in our children's generation...but it started with us.  These kids are asking teachers why they aren't being PAID (!!!) to go to school since they are "forced" to be there.  Are you serious?  Geez Louise!!  Bad grades are being REWARDED with shopping sprees, new gadgets...the best of everything. 

I will have no part in my son growing up to be an entitled brat. Yeah that's right. I said it. A freaking brat.  His grades will be rewarded as I see fit.  Pull good grades and I won't ground you until the following year...how's that?  Be polite and respectful to your teachers and other students and I won't yank your butt off of every extracurricular activity you are currently in.  See. This is what gets me.  Bullies. I WILL NOT TOLERATE MY SON BULLYING ANOTHER PERSON BE IT STUDENT OR OTHERWISE.

I know what it feels like to be bullied. I'd have liked to kick the teeth down that chicks throat for telling me my voice grated on her last nerves (and I don't have an abnormal or irritating voice) and to shut up so she didn't have to listen to me in the 5th grade. But I didn't. My self esteem suffered.  I know better NOW. If you don't like my voice, leave. Simple solution to a ridiculous problem.  Kids think they are so cool with their latest model shoes and expensive clothes.  LOL  The joke is on them. They're only as cool as their parents allow them to be.  I'm not saying that I'm gonna dress my son in rags and look like PigPen when he goes to school...but let me find out that he is being a bully at school and picking on some other less fortunate child for their lack of finer threads.  Believe you me.  He will regret it to the inth degree.  I will personally pack up every shred of finer thread he has and give it to that other child. And then I will take him to the Salvation Army or some other second hand store and let him know what it feels like to be teased.  Tell me son, how "cool" are you now?  Teasing a child because they do not have the best of everything is unacceptable to me.  You should not tease the less fortunate.  God has a funny way of switching roles on people...

Eh. Might not go THAT far (taking away all his clothes), but I am choosing to raise my son to know that he has choices in life and that he will have to live with the consequences of his actions. Go to school and get an education so that you can be a productive, contributing member of society with a shot at having what you want in life, or drop out and make life that much harder because you don't have an education.  (***NOT graduating high school is NOT an option in my house.***)  Becoming pregnant just so you can score an AUDITION isn't either. I'm just saying.  I'm a firm believer that parents need to get a grip on bringing up their children and make some more effort to instill good morals and values.  Be a PARENT to your child, not their FRIEND.  Sure. You can teach them that having the finer things in life is good. But teach them that they must work hard to obtain those things.  Nothing worth having ever comes free.