Kids Again

kids that do no wrong george nelson - 49th post - 26 Nov 2004 14:34
It would seem the little darlings of Bournemouth have been playing children’s games.
I think it’s called terrorise someone who is defenceless 40 year 10 girls attacking 1 year 11 girl threatening to kill her oh the share bravery of them.
Oh well I suppose it is only to be expected now that there are no restraints on kids.
You better not punish them though else you will end up in court for trying to keep your kid on the straight and narrow road.
Just remember not to scream at them too loud else you might hurt their little feelings oh dear what shall we do?
The funny thing is it’s never your child it’s always someone else’s until the knock on the door comes. [reply] [Complain about this post]


re: kids that do no wrong Rosie T - 802nd post - 12 Dec 2004 15:36
I too was bewildered by this. I live in Holland and I give both lines and detentions. Admittedly, this policy is not approved of by the specialists and school psychologists, who insist that understanding and talking and positive feedback are the only way to deal with bad behaviour.
Biggest problem though is parents. They often write me indignant letters that are twice as long as the lines I gave their child, Lol! [reply] [Complain about this post]


re: kids that do no wrong Little Richardjohn - 434th post - 13 Dec 2004 18:52
So what sort of provision is made by the Dutch state for the street needs of teenagers?
As you probably know, in Britain, we spend almost nothing on keeping pre-adults off the streets. That is their natural habitat before they are old enough to drink. And then they are drunk all the time.
We kick our kids into the streets with the pimps and dealers then expect them to behave like angels.
How much control do you think Dutch parents really have over their kids?
I've noticed that once kids are bigger than their parents (which is happening earlier these days) there is no holding them. I was certainly like that as a teenager, and I had an almost idyllic childhood.
So what do we do? Lock them indoors - UNINVENT TV? Because let's face it, Rupert Murdoch and the other media Gorgons have much more control over children's attitudes than even my parents ever did over me. And that was some time ago now.
Punishment is not the answer. Investment is.


re: kids that do no wrong Rosie T - 814th post - 14 Dec 2004 14:32
Provisions for kids here depends on where you live: plenty of provisions in the areas where there is a lot of crime and vandalism, but very little in other areas.
Personally I think there's nothing wrong in kids hanging around the streets; we did it all the time, and had great fun. Only difference is that we didn't break the law, vandalize or go too far with our mischief, because we were too scared of our parents finding out. Why were we so scared? I was never beaten, it was simply that I was scared of them, they were figures of authority and would give me such a telling off if I misbehaved that it influenced my behaviour. [reply] [Complain about this post]


re: kids that do no wrong Little Richardjohn - 440th post - 15 Dec 2004 12:57
But you're talking about a time before the streets were as full of extremely valuable items of private property (cars) than they are now.
And the streets of somewhere like London were, until about 1978, full of areas of 'waste' ground, derelict land mainly left over from the war and undeveloped because of the economic climate.
Other places had similarly flexible environments.
Kids were able to crate a territorial identity from such places. The whole British adventure playground movement grew out of them.
Then property values increased and they all got built on. From about then, the streets have become a disputed territory between kids trying to socialize and adults trying to protect their property. It's a fatal recipe. [reply] [Complain about this post]


re: kids that do no wrong Rosie T - 828th post - 15 Dec 2004 13:08
That is a very pertinent argument, Richard! Our village is being re-vamped at the moment and a "hanging-around" place for teenagers has been included in the plans. It is in a wooded area behind my house (!) and is to be on a hillock, so the police can keep an eye on it. But I don't think I'd have found this very attractive at their age! You are absolutely right, they do need territory and not more structured "constructive" activity centres where they can be policed by adults.

re: kids that do no wrong Little Richardjohn - 444th post - 15 Dec 2004 13:42
Gratis.
Having had the childhood I did, I weep for kids nowadays.
They are like caged animals.
A canny business operator should seize the gap in the market for a range of 'Kiddispoons' after-school teenypubs. Membership-only, adult supervised, democratically-run, alcohol-free hang-outs where kids between oo.. twelve and 18? could go to pretend to be grown up AND have fun and even do their homework... Think of the joy of not having them under your feet ALL the time and knowing that they were OK. You could even have a webcast on an intranet system to all members' families so that they could be sure of their safety.. and on and on and on.
We simply don't make any INVESTMENT in kids. They are simply future units of production, it seems.


re: kids that do no wrong Rosie T - 835th post - 15 Dec 2004 14:22

"Having had the childhood I did, I weep for kids nowadays.
They are like caged animals"

Me too, Richard. I sometimes tell my enthralled pupils some of the stuff we used to get up to as kids, and the incredulity and envy on their faces is pathetic. [reply] [Complain about this post]


re: kids that do no wrong Little Richardjohn - 451st post - 15 Dec 2004 15:04
So what sort of generation are we (and Rupert Murdoch and other comparable pornographers) creating?

re: kids that do no wrong Rosie T - 839th post - 15 Dec 2004 15:13
I suppose we are simply postponing puberty: they get it "out of their system" at a later stage, when they are students or working and living out of the home. Unfortunately this results in binge drinking, reckless driving, etc. At that age most of us were married or had our noses to the grindstone.:)

re: kids that do no wrong Little Richardjohn - 452nd post - 15 Dec 2004 15:41
It seems that the play deprivation of the Thatcher's children, for instance, has produced a race of people with only two states of consciousness:
Mindless work and wrecked out of their brains.
With maybe just a touch of Big Brother for a hangover cure.
That's life for these poor creatures.