are parents overprotective?

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I had lots of fun with tennis balls, tennis ball cans and lighter fluid. Yes, I spent all day with my buds. I used my bike to get everywhere as well as a skate board. Came home only when I heard the bell my mom would ring when dinner was ready.


As far as drugs, alcohol and bullies...we had them all in the 80's (when I was a teenager). All three were available at any given time. Yet, a majority did keep on even keel. Sure, some of the students in my school did get in very deep trouble with the vices. Accidents that killed(DUI) and other injuries from doing just stupid things.

Social media IMO only has helped other see what has been going on for a long time.

You may well be right with regards to bullies existing and drugs and alcohol being available back in the 80's and even further back. However, in going home, most had a safe haven from the outside world and I hope everyone had that. Through social media however, kids can be bullied and attacked In the relative safety in their own homes. That's where I think the current generation and ours differ.

The real tragedy is the incredible number of kids taking their own lives over what we as adults consider to be trivial matters. It's not trivial to these kids though and their losses are real, especially to their families and loved ones.


By the way, we did the same thing with beer cans taped together or pipes and tennis balls too. We were so dumb.

[August]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

You may well be right with regards to bullies existing and drugs and alcohol being available back in the 80's and even further back. However, in going home, most had a safe haven from the outside world and I hope everyone had that. Through social media however, kids can be bullied and attacked In the relative safety in their own homes. That's where I think the current generation and ours differ.

Kids homes weren't all that safe back then, we just think they were because we didn't have every incident of child abuse no matter how small broadcasted nationally, nor were common time tested parental discipline methods like a good spanking for example considered to be acts of child abuse like they are now.

The real tragedy is the incredible number of kids taking their own lives over what we as adults consider to be trivial matters. It's not trivial to these kids though and their losses are real, especially to their families and loved ones.

Tragic yes but it is something that society perpetuates when we fail to prepare our children for the slings and arrows of life. Our motto used to be: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me". This has now has morphed into "Names alone hurt me enough to demand criminal and legal action when someone calls me one that I don't like". And we wonder why so many wilt under a little pressure.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

You may well be right with regards to bullies existing and drugs and alcohol being available back in the 80's and even further back. However, in going home, most had a safe haven from the outside world and I hope everyone had that. Through social media however, kids can be bullied and attacked In the relative safety in their own homes. That's where I think the current generation and ours differ.

The real tragedy is the incredible number of kids taking their own lives over what we as adults consider to be trivial matters. It's not trivial to these kids though and their losses are real, especially to their families and loved ones.


By the way, we did the same thing with beer cans taped together or pipes and tennis balls too. We were so dumb.

Parents need to step in with social media. My wife and I monitored what our daughters were up to on the internet. There was a time limit for using the internet a well. Referring back to my earlier post parents currenlty treat their kids like adults and fully expect adult like choices. It is not the case as we see. I do not blame social media. I blame the parents that do not monitor their kids. And that is on both ends. Parents of kids who doing the bully crap and parents of the kids getting bullied. As far as taking of own lives, it happened in the 80's as well. I recall one incident my freshman year in college. A student entered her dorm room. As her room mate watched she took her desk chair to the window, stepped up on the chair and stepped out the window. Seven stories.

Tennis ball cannons!!

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by August

Kids homes weren't all that safe back then, we just think they were because we didn't have every incident of child abuse no matter how small broadcasted nationally, nor were common time tested parental discipline methods like a good spanking for example considered to be acts of child abuse like they are now.

Tragic yes but it is something that society perpetuates when we fail to prepare our children for the slings and arrows of life. Our motto used to be: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me". This has now has morphed into "Names alone hurt me enough to demand criminal and legal action when someone calls me one that I don't like". And we wonder why so many wilt under a little pressure.

There is probably a lot of truth there as well. As complicated as some of the issues are and parents not having a lot in the way of an instruction manual, It's amazing most do as well as they do.

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Parents need to step in with social media. My wife and I monitored what our daughters were up to on the internet. There was a time limit for using the internet a well. Referring back to my earlier post parents currenlty treat their kids like adults and fully expect adult like choices. It is not the case as we see. I do not blame social media. I blame the parents that do not monitor their kids. And that is on both ends. Parents of kids who doing the bully crap and parents of the kids getting bullied. As far as taking of own lives, it happened in the 80's as well. I recall one incident my freshman year in college. A student entered her dorm room. As her room mate watched she took her desk chair to the window, stepped up on the chair and stepped out the window. Seven stories.

Tennis ball cannons!!

You and your wife are / were good parents and active in your kids lives so kudos to you both. In reading some posts from fireftr18 and others, I'm sure there are other parents here who take the same precautions and active in the kids lives as well. Not all kids have that because of both parents holding down jobs among other reasons.

I'm not sure what the answer is but you, Aktung, August and others have provided some good and interesting counterpoints. I'm sorry about the young woman at your college. Unfortunately, I think we all have similar stories. I know I do.



Tennis ball cannons !!