Are kids these days disrespectful?

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I don't think kids are any better or worse than they used to be. I volunteer a lot at my sons' school. Most of the kids I encounter are respectful and polite, and a couple are disruptive and entitled. The kids who aren't polite tend to stick in the memory more than the ones quietly doing what they are supposed to, and so sometimes memory and perception can make their percentage seem larger, but really it's usually just one or two kids in the whole group. Most of the kids I encounter are fantastic!

So I guess this is a natural sort of thing, eh?

IMHO: As limits continue to expand of what is acceptable kids will continue as they always have: Testing the boundary of those limits. Much like the dinosaurs in Jurassic park flinging themselves against the fence looking for weakness. In this regard I think there is no change.

Another concept to keep in mind is "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" The kids we talk about are the kids who warrant attention.

Lets face it no one wants to read a story , or watch a program about a kid who is not on drugs: not disrespectful: and stays within the constraints of society. How many headlines does a band playing classical music receive when compared with one that degrades women or is combative of authority. So we in turn look for that bad behavior. We seek it out and because this is what we are looking for it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy .

IMHO if what you are seeking is good responsible young men and women. That would be what you would find.

I don't think children are any better or any worse on their own - I think parenting standards have gone downhill rather dramatically since I was a kid, though.

I took my aspie toddler to the playground today, and spent the entire time protecting him from older children and correcting his behavior when he tried to mimic their idiotic antics. There were adults present, they simply chose to ignore their children hurling mulch and shoving each other. One of the bigger boys pushed my 4 year old off a ladder, and his parents did NOTHING.

The kids aren't the problem. Crappy parenting is the problem.

I think we have the wrong equation. It isn't about kids being more disrespectful, it is about society being more disrespectful. Children are a reflection of the world around them. As adults get harsher, so do kids. You can't expect kids to behave better than the role models they see.

I'm actually pretty amazed at the good things I see from kids. They get exposed to so much that is negative, and yet they still yearn to do right. Gives you faith in human nature.