When parents are unable to cope with their children’s aggressive demands and rising expectations, it results in kids having their own way. Teenagers have always been rebellious and resentful but we bottle up our feelings and suffer silently in the hands of our own kids. The present youth vent their feelings freely, creating a sense of threat and insecurity among the parents. The young blood becomes so selfish and materialistic that they don’t care about their parents’ sentiments and their expectations. They just care about themselves, their wants, their aggressive demands. Today’s TV channels and SMS are bound to threaten the parent’s sense of values and morality. Our Indian values could not keep pace with this recent technology enlistment. There is too much exposure of sex and violence on TV which results in aggressive generation. Infidelity and sex are no longer taboos. Such exposure encourages the younger generation for doing sexual experimentation without imparting responsibility.
Parents and teachers are shocked by the large scale copying and cheating during exams among the youth, while truth and honesty becomes the things of the past. The lack of respect and value for hard earned money among spendthrift youngsters may cause parental insecurity. These days urban kids want to live an easy luxury oriented life, they want to make easy money. Parents like me are certainly threatened by the fact that we are raising a generation of cynics for whom hard work and education takes the back seat. Today’s youth wants to make quick money at call centers and love to have the fast moving life in which they can’t see beyond their present. We as a parents feel threatened and insecure about our own kids end up doing a sub standard job.
Independent families are also the reason for this. Because in nuclear families, the child literally holds fort, he becomes the sole apple of the parental eyes. This gives him the edge over other children to do whatever he or she wants. And parents are generally given in to their aggressive demands. Yet few parents say no to their children these days, who have learnt their way from the beginning itself. So that they would become overbearing bullies as they step into their youth. These children then eventually threaten their parents with their irresponsible and brash behavior.
How to make them see your point of view? As responsible citizens and adults we must combat this invasion and restore the values of decency, compassion and honesty among the young. Make sure your child should watch TV for restricted hours as planned by you. And instead make them do something more creative and productive thing to do in their spare time. When children start dictating their parents what to do or not to do, make a fuss over food, force them to buy those gifts and purchases of their choice, it is time for the parents to draw the line and lay down the ground rules. Make your self role models, and we must do some introspection on our day to day behavior.
Aggression among children is more of a parental issue and it subsequently reflects the upbringing of a child. So instead of making excuses for your kids and feeling shocked, it is best to accept the change in the younger generation whether it is in their dress sense or any other change, only then when it is not going to harm them in any case. Try to set right communications patterns by open-minded discussions and patiently negotiating with the youngsters.