by Meghann

Created on: June 02, 2008

With all the avenues of communication that are available to today's youth it is obvious to me that my children are in for the battle of a life time. I even feel the generation gap between my parents and myself with every conversation. It is possible that our society has run out of ideas and it peaked in the 1990's.

My parents had the Ozzy and Harriet, stay at home mother, white collar father, single vehicle, quiet neighborhood type of childhoods. They were taught to not even question authority because, well, you just don't do it. Children, for the most part, were only allowed to speak when spoken to, and were seen but not heard. Respect was a big issue. It was wrong to interrupt adults who were conversing, and certain subjects like sex, money, and politics were not spoken about if kids were present. Routine was a must. Everyday was the same, always predictable. Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, walk to school, walk home, do homework, do chores (no allowance), play outside until dinner is ready, eat dinner, shower, sleep. Saturdays were not for cartoons and fun activities. That's when chores like re-lining the cupboard shelves with contact paper and cleaning out the gutters were done.

Now let's fast forward to my childhood. I was raised learning responsibility - to an extent. I was hovered over a lot because of the lack of hovering that they felt as children. I was always told I was right. I had chores to do but I also got paid for them. I was not taught about money management though. I was not given a toy every time I went to the store. I was disciplined with spankings, sometimes with the belt. I was taught about consequences for my actions and owning my mistakes. I was taught to believe in myself, too. I was NOT taught to consider everyone's feelings. My older brother was not forced to tend to me or even like me for that matter. I was not taught about sex, money management, or adulthood. I was sheltered from all things corruptive. My innocence was protected but I was not taught how to protect it on my own. Television was limited and we had no computer or cell phones. School was a must in my family. Work came before fun with no exceptions. It was rare to find kids in my class that came from broken homes. Divorce was unheard of and interracial relationships were virtually non existent. Cursing was not allowed on TV. at all, and neither was nudity at any level. Certain subject matters were not the basis for sitcoms, and homosexuality was unacceptable.

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