Teacher Shares The Worst Parenting Habits Of Each Generation And The Truth May Be Hard To Swallow
The fall school semester is upon us and as sad as students are for Summer to be over, their teachers may not be prepared either. To kick off the new class period a biology teacher for both middle and high school, shared some of their experiences not with their students but with their parents. More specifically, the teacher broke down their interactions with parents divided by generation – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Yes, it’s not just the kids who are sometimes a pain. Each generation has their own parenting styles and none of them are a picnic to deal with. Scroll down to see which generation is the worst and warning, if you’re a parent, they may hit close to home.
A biology teacher decided to share the differences between the 3 different generations of parents
Breaking down the good, the bad and the ugly
Other teachers in the comments shared their experience and even some parents
238Kviews
Share on FacebookWhat I remember is that in the '90s 'experts' encouraged participation medal parenting: positive reinforcement- no negative consequence, all praise child rearing. So most parents jumped into this bandwagon.After a decade, we are screwed as same experts say this approach produces self- entitled, mediocre kind of brats. However, there are studies too as well that shows decrease in teen pregnancy and abuse of drugs/ alcohol with the younger generation. I do not know who to believe anymore.
I think that it's a mix of both. The whole don't discipline your kids studies actually started back in the 60s even though we stereotype it with the newer generations. Birth rates with newer generations are decreasing drastically in all age groups because we're spending 200% more on education than any generation before us and therefore we're in more debt and having a harder time getting jobs with our degrees.
Load More Replies...The worst generation? Probably when the Gen z kids start going to school. The parents and kids will be offended by everything
As a gen z, I agree with you. This isn't going in the best direction.
Load More Replies...This is nothing new.I read once that even Socrates bitched about kids now days. Cave men probably guilt tripped their kids about the bad old days before they had fire.
this generation of 8 - 16 yr olds IS being ruined by mobile games. Apps, Social Media - Am just worried about my niece and nephew - they are almost 14 - but unable to give more than a one word answer to anything - usually "I dont know" - or a grunt. They were so much more communicative when they were 10 - before they got "left to their own devices" - ironic
Previous generations were out of the house, so they didn't have to talk to adults by physically avoiding them...
Load More Replies...To the person who said that if Gen X are bad parents its because of how they were raised, you basically just proved her point by trying to shift the blame.
First of all, millennials are, in general, waiting longer to get married and have children. So as a group, most of their children are under 10 years old. However, what I have witnessed as a coach in HS sports, is that these kids have the worst traits of Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millenials. They are a complete mess, they are entitled, never do wrong, blame everyone else, expect everything handed to them, are vocal about their displeasure and their parents pay no real attention to them. So what else can we add to that mix to make more terrible people on this planet?
Since you're HS coach, most of the kids have Gen X parents would be my guess
Load More Replies...There have also been bad teachers - I was a child at school from mid 1960's to end of the 70's - If I had even told my parents half the difficulties I had with some of the embittered - have to say this - Spinster Teachers" (never married or had children) - we were quite bullied and intimidated by them at the time
That goes with any profession. You should know though that there are more good teachers out there than bad. Most teachers go into the profession wanting to change the world and make a difference in a child’s life.
Load More Replies...I've noticed a huge difference between students from different years as a student myself. My parents were born in the 60s, so they'd fall into the Gen X generation? I myself was born in 1990. I remember very clearly in year 9 (we would've been 15) that I and the other kids in my year+the older ones were discussing how the younger students behaved. It must have been pretty bad for us to notice. Not all of them were like that, but the younger they were then us, the larger the number of spoiled kids. I'd like to think things have gotten better, but I haven't had much contact with school-age kids in recent years.
No one shocked by energize comment in the article? I mean spanking IS illegal (at least in most countries).
In the UK I think it has something to do with whether you leave a mark? We had a joke about this at work; if you ever got hit by someone who wasn't your parent/guardian, you're not a millenial..
Load More Replies...Gosh, the person in the comments thinking saying no to a kid and spanking a kid are the same level of sane parenting. Hitting your child is thankfully illegal in many countries!
I'm 36, does this make me a millennial?? I heard my age is xennials.. I'm in France and I love how polite and respectful the majority of kids are.. but I sadly see a lot of parents with the (tax break) three kids; you get plenty of perks here for having three, but that means plenty of people have more kids than they can actually be bothered to parent well..
Generation Y here (too young to be an X'er and too old to be a millennial) and so happy to be childfree. Used to do therapy with teens and tweens, had parents in each of these categories and just wow. Being a teacher to these kids is one thing, try being that kids therapist! Parents and parenting style was a big reason the kids were in therapy. Working with the parents is what sent me back to working only with adults. The kids weren't too bad but the parents... yeesh!
I rarely comment, but this article could easily be tweaked to discuss today's teachers. The boomer types who have checked out but still get a check, the recent grads who know everything about teaching and children although they have limited experience and do not have their own children. The teachers who don't care and are always right. So, it really is silly to generalize. Every teacher is different. Every kid is different (I am one of 7 kids, and I can assure you that, despite having boomer parents, each one of us is completely different). Every parent is different. And, sometimes parents might be reacting to how they're treated when they show up for a conference.
Very true. I've seen Boomer parents with college kids and hooo boy. You don't call it I Tappa Kegga and the Sore-Whore-ity house for nothing: these kids have money shoveled at them and use lines like "my dad is really rich" and have no sense of why they are in college at all. Side note: drunken students falling out of dorm windows is not, apparently the issue of the parent's upbringing and said child's moronic life choices, but the school's. Go figure.
News that I, as part of Gen X, can verify: NOBODY likes particicpation awards! They're embarrassing, in every form of the word! I can't STAND them! They just make ehat ever you lost seem worse. I can be okay with losing a hard game, but don't give me a trophy for it!! I can't really explain it, it just seems so....insulting and undermining.
So Gen X is going to run the country some day ? May God help us, no one else will.
What about xennials? Whey were we left out? Is it because we are awesome at everything?
While I agree with this synopsis, I would add...the parents are dealing with TEACHERS from these different generations! And can be just as difficult for parents to deal with these TEACHERS! It goes both ways.
I agree with one of the comments above; it's more to do with the adults life than the generation they are born into. Young parents will behave differently to older parents, because of life experience and differences with wealth. This is like saying parenting is affected by your horoscope.
and what about the teacher itself before judging the three generation of parents, for sure a carrere freak and no children relation partner....
Maybe there really is something wrong with the teachers and the education system. Has anyone thought of that? No, you didn't think of that did you? You just thought of ways to insult the different generations and shift blame and cause problems and think you know it all and be jerks and be nasty. Maybe there's nothing wrong with the teachers and maybe there's nothing wrong with the kids. Maybe it's the water we're all drinking. Maybe it's that. You didn't think of that did you, you selfish bastards. Maybe it's the mustard and the ketchup you keep putting on your burgers and hotdogs at the old ball game. Maybe it's Kapernick, maybe it's Montana, maybe it's some other quaterback that plays for some other team from a different generation. Maybe it isn't Nike's fault, maybe it's Converse or New Balance or maybe it isn't. Maybe it's your fault or mine or no one's fault. Maybe we just don't know or we never will know dammit. Know won ever thinks of that do they? DO THEY?!?
Terrible post Bored Panda. Public school teachers are the worst. Typical "god complex" douche bag.
I'd be willing to bet the ones that down voted me are teachers. That is fine, I'm used to the "holier than thou" public school teachers that make $30-$60 k a year & have the audacity to b***h about not making enough money to pay for their $500,000 home and their $80,000 SUVs. Where I grew up, if you weren't a white republican chistian wealthy stable two parent family on the correct side of the river, you were scum. AND that is how the teachers treated you. We only had TWO black children in my entire school, & one was half white. Which was a HUGE deal in the township. Luckily my daughter's school now is a melting pot of many different people of different colors, religions, sexual preferences, and trans children. However, the teachers here also b***h about not making enough money. Thank goodness it's her last year!
Load More Replies...I'm guessing teacher is a millineal and relates best to this cohort. I'm guessing older parents (who have expectations) scare them. Why don't you take some time to learn about what these other generations went through, and where they are coming from, and improve your communication skills? Don't start your relationships with negative assumptions, and THEY MIGHT IMPROVE. I also love how the author said they wouldn't tell their own age group to avoid appearance of bias, then demonstrated just that. This sounds like an extremely judgmental teacher, the exact opposite of what would be helpful. The majority of Gen X parents I know are matter a fact, straight forward, and supportive. Come to thinks of it, so are the Boomers, for the most part. However, they are in general want a more collaborative approach, and are not going to worship you or kiss your tush. Learn how to work WITH parents instead of judging them all, and you might get along better.
Hmmm...So this person thinks it is catchy to stereotype parents by age. Why not stereotype parents by race, or religion, or ethnicity? Coward! This is not a scientist, this is a "teacher", who thinks it is funny to stereotype people. It is stupid. So sad to think this is someone influencing the lives of children...a deeply prejudiced "teacher". We, and they, deserve better.
What I remember is that in the '90s 'experts' encouraged participation medal parenting: positive reinforcement- no negative consequence, all praise child rearing. So most parents jumped into this bandwagon.After a decade, we are screwed as same experts say this approach produces self- entitled, mediocre kind of brats. However, there are studies too as well that shows decrease in teen pregnancy and abuse of drugs/ alcohol with the younger generation. I do not know who to believe anymore.
I think that it's a mix of both. The whole don't discipline your kids studies actually started back in the 60s even though we stereotype it with the newer generations. Birth rates with newer generations are decreasing drastically in all age groups because we're spending 200% more on education than any generation before us and therefore we're in more debt and having a harder time getting jobs with our degrees.
Load More Replies...The worst generation? Probably when the Gen z kids start going to school. The parents and kids will be offended by everything
As a gen z, I agree with you. This isn't going in the best direction.
Load More Replies...This is nothing new.I read once that even Socrates bitched about kids now days. Cave men probably guilt tripped their kids about the bad old days before they had fire.
this generation of 8 - 16 yr olds IS being ruined by mobile games. Apps, Social Media - Am just worried about my niece and nephew - they are almost 14 - but unable to give more than a one word answer to anything - usually "I dont know" - or a grunt. They were so much more communicative when they were 10 - before they got "left to their own devices" - ironic
Previous generations were out of the house, so they didn't have to talk to adults by physically avoiding them...
Load More Replies...To the person who said that if Gen X are bad parents its because of how they were raised, you basically just proved her point by trying to shift the blame.
First of all, millennials are, in general, waiting longer to get married and have children. So as a group, most of their children are under 10 years old. However, what I have witnessed as a coach in HS sports, is that these kids have the worst traits of Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millenials. They are a complete mess, they are entitled, never do wrong, blame everyone else, expect everything handed to them, are vocal about their displeasure and their parents pay no real attention to them. So what else can we add to that mix to make more terrible people on this planet?
Since you're HS coach, most of the kids have Gen X parents would be my guess
Load More Replies...There have also been bad teachers - I was a child at school from mid 1960's to end of the 70's - If I had even told my parents half the difficulties I had with some of the embittered - have to say this - Spinster Teachers" (never married or had children) - we were quite bullied and intimidated by them at the time
That goes with any profession. You should know though that there are more good teachers out there than bad. Most teachers go into the profession wanting to change the world and make a difference in a child’s life.
Load More Replies...I've noticed a huge difference between students from different years as a student myself. My parents were born in the 60s, so they'd fall into the Gen X generation? I myself was born in 1990. I remember very clearly in year 9 (we would've been 15) that I and the other kids in my year+the older ones were discussing how the younger students behaved. It must have been pretty bad for us to notice. Not all of them were like that, but the younger they were then us, the larger the number of spoiled kids. I'd like to think things have gotten better, but I haven't had much contact with school-age kids in recent years.
No one shocked by energize comment in the article? I mean spanking IS illegal (at least in most countries).
In the UK I think it has something to do with whether you leave a mark? We had a joke about this at work; if you ever got hit by someone who wasn't your parent/guardian, you're not a millenial..
Load More Replies...Gosh, the person in the comments thinking saying no to a kid and spanking a kid are the same level of sane parenting. Hitting your child is thankfully illegal in many countries!
I'm 36, does this make me a millennial?? I heard my age is xennials.. I'm in France and I love how polite and respectful the majority of kids are.. but I sadly see a lot of parents with the (tax break) three kids; you get plenty of perks here for having three, but that means plenty of people have more kids than they can actually be bothered to parent well..
Generation Y here (too young to be an X'er and too old to be a millennial) and so happy to be childfree. Used to do therapy with teens and tweens, had parents in each of these categories and just wow. Being a teacher to these kids is one thing, try being that kids therapist! Parents and parenting style was a big reason the kids were in therapy. Working with the parents is what sent me back to working only with adults. The kids weren't too bad but the parents... yeesh!
I rarely comment, but this article could easily be tweaked to discuss today's teachers. The boomer types who have checked out but still get a check, the recent grads who know everything about teaching and children although they have limited experience and do not have their own children. The teachers who don't care and are always right. So, it really is silly to generalize. Every teacher is different. Every kid is different (I am one of 7 kids, and I can assure you that, despite having boomer parents, each one of us is completely different). Every parent is different. And, sometimes parents might be reacting to how they're treated when they show up for a conference.
Very true. I've seen Boomer parents with college kids and hooo boy. You don't call it I Tappa Kegga and the Sore-Whore-ity house for nothing: these kids have money shoveled at them and use lines like "my dad is really rich" and have no sense of why they are in college at all. Side note: drunken students falling out of dorm windows is not, apparently the issue of the parent's upbringing and said child's moronic life choices, but the school's. Go figure.
News that I, as part of Gen X, can verify: NOBODY likes particicpation awards! They're embarrassing, in every form of the word! I can't STAND them! They just make ehat ever you lost seem worse. I can be okay with losing a hard game, but don't give me a trophy for it!! I can't really explain it, it just seems so....insulting and undermining.
So Gen X is going to run the country some day ? May God help us, no one else will.
What about xennials? Whey were we left out? Is it because we are awesome at everything?
While I agree with this synopsis, I would add...the parents are dealing with TEACHERS from these different generations! And can be just as difficult for parents to deal with these TEACHERS! It goes both ways.
I agree with one of the comments above; it's more to do with the adults life than the generation they are born into. Young parents will behave differently to older parents, because of life experience and differences with wealth. This is like saying parenting is affected by your horoscope.
and what about the teacher itself before judging the three generation of parents, for sure a carrere freak and no children relation partner....
Maybe there really is something wrong with the teachers and the education system. Has anyone thought of that? No, you didn't think of that did you? You just thought of ways to insult the different generations and shift blame and cause problems and think you know it all and be jerks and be nasty. Maybe there's nothing wrong with the teachers and maybe there's nothing wrong with the kids. Maybe it's the water we're all drinking. Maybe it's that. You didn't think of that did you, you selfish bastards. Maybe it's the mustard and the ketchup you keep putting on your burgers and hotdogs at the old ball game. Maybe it's Kapernick, maybe it's Montana, maybe it's some other quaterback that plays for some other team from a different generation. Maybe it isn't Nike's fault, maybe it's Converse or New Balance or maybe it isn't. Maybe it's your fault or mine or no one's fault. Maybe we just don't know or we never will know dammit. Know won ever thinks of that do they? DO THEY?!?
Terrible post Bored Panda. Public school teachers are the worst. Typical "god complex" douche bag.
I'd be willing to bet the ones that down voted me are teachers. That is fine, I'm used to the "holier than thou" public school teachers that make $30-$60 k a year & have the audacity to b***h about not making enough money to pay for their $500,000 home and their $80,000 SUVs. Where I grew up, if you weren't a white republican chistian wealthy stable two parent family on the correct side of the river, you were scum. AND that is how the teachers treated you. We only had TWO black children in my entire school, & one was half white. Which was a HUGE deal in the township. Luckily my daughter's school now is a melting pot of many different people of different colors, religions, sexual preferences, and trans children. However, the teachers here also b***h about not making enough money. Thank goodness it's her last year!
Load More Replies...I'm guessing teacher is a millineal and relates best to this cohort. I'm guessing older parents (who have expectations) scare them. Why don't you take some time to learn about what these other generations went through, and where they are coming from, and improve your communication skills? Don't start your relationships with negative assumptions, and THEY MIGHT IMPROVE. I also love how the author said they wouldn't tell their own age group to avoid appearance of bias, then demonstrated just that. This sounds like an extremely judgmental teacher, the exact opposite of what would be helpful. The majority of Gen X parents I know are matter a fact, straight forward, and supportive. Come to thinks of it, so are the Boomers, for the most part. However, they are in general want a more collaborative approach, and are not going to worship you or kiss your tush. Learn how to work WITH parents instead of judging them all, and you might get along better.
Hmmm...So this person thinks it is catchy to stereotype parents by age. Why not stereotype parents by race, or religion, or ethnicity? Coward! This is not a scientist, this is a "teacher", who thinks it is funny to stereotype people. It is stupid. So sad to think this is someone influencing the lives of children...a deeply prejudiced "teacher". We, and they, deserve better.
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