Perhaps We Are To Hard On Our Teenagers?

A friend recently sent me a link to a video of a dad shooting the laptop of his ungrateful little brat of a teenage daughter (yes, he shot the thing with a gun!).  Apparently her life was so hard she decided to share this with the entire world through social media and in the same breath completely trash her parents.   So her dad answered back.  Through social media.  After watching and listening to this dad I muttered “Every ungrateful teenager needs to see that.”  They also need to hustle their asses down to an inner city neighbourhood and/or a third world country to get an idea how bad they really have it.  Imagine the nerve of parents nowadays asking kids to make their beds and help unload the dishwasher?  Don’t those parents know that these are very stressful times for teenagers?  Why, they have to go to school for almost six whole hours a day, five whole days a week! (unless of course there is another one of those special pro-d day things, in that case it’s a whole four days.)   How can we expect them to do anything other than come home from school and sit in front of the tv or xbox until they get called for dinner and then back to the tv until 11:30 pm or so when they decide it’s time to go to bed?  I feel bad for teenagers.  They are also, it seems, expected to graduate from high school!  Holy Hannah! Isn’t that enough?  Why, I wonder, do we as parents expect any more of them with all the pressures they have of this impending graduation?  What? We also wouldn’t mind if they cleaned their room and cleaned up behind themselves?  Seriously.  Isn’t that asking too much? 

I’m not sure about you all, but I know when I was a teenager it was much easier.  My generation only had to graduate, have part time jobs (only if you actually wanted money), AND …… wait for it: we had chores.  I know this is a bizarre concept but we were actually required to help out around the house.  DAILY.  Not once and a while.  Not when it was convenient for us.  Not only after we had a two hour gaming session.  No.  We did them when we were told and we did them often.  Kinda makes sense looking back now.  I mean we did live there.  Why wouldn’t we help out in the upkeep of the home we lived in.  I also don’t recall my mother handing over any money so I could go to a movie (or buy a car for that matter) and she never spent $100.00 a month on a cell phone plan so I knew my friends social statuses or what celebrities were having for breakfast.

The best part?  When the dumb asses get on social media complaining about how mean their parents are and how they hate living with their parents and how incredibly hard done by they are.  I only wish they would also list why they hate living in such a bad place.  Is it because their dad beats them?  No.  Is it because they are neglected and have three younger siblings to care for?  No.  Is it because their mom is a heroin addict who can’t keep food in the house?  No. No. No.  It’s because they: have to pick up after themselves, help out around the house, at least pass their classes in school, be polite to others, make their bed and other seriously damaging, life altering demands.  (All the while they want laptops, Iphones (with monthly plans no less), expensive sport camps and equipment, to have no curfew, be able to go where ever and do what ever they want and have money given to them for their entertainment.)

So looking forward to the next generation of workers.  How many of them are going to have a conflict with their managers, stamp their feet and walk out of the workplace proclaiming "This isn't fair!" and then promptly Twitter the world of the incredible injustice they have just experienced (Only after getting in the car that Mommy and Daddy bought, insured and put gas in for them.)

Oh dear.  It's not lookin good.