The "youth" of today

I'm in my mid-twenties (yes, MID Eca).
My husband and will be having children in the not so distant future.
I'm not the first or last person to have children, and I'm certain I'm not the first to worry about raising them "right". This is not new ground for me, ever since I felt old enough to pass comment on the coming generations compared to my own, I have worried about how I will ensure my children are as well adjusted as I feel myself and my brothers and sisters have become. How do parents find the right mix of discussions, discipline, clothing, finance, manners.......or is it simply that no one ever knows, and we can only hope that everything turns out ok?
If that's the answer, how will a control freak like me ever let go enough to make it flow?

If you read ten books on parenting, you'll probably get ten different success plans or stories, and ten different opinions on how to do it.
Hugh Mackay, a social commentator who always put across his point succinctly, muses :

.....it's all part of the accelerated childhood (AC) syndrome, reflecting the curious desire of parents - mightily reinforced by the machinery of modern marketing - to hasten their children's development towards adulthood by encouraging them to act like mini-adults.

The "training bra" for prepubescent girls was an early sign of the AC syndrome. Now you can find parents who willingly serve young children drinks that simulate adult cocktails, and who buy their daughters clothes, shoes, cosmetics, dolls and music designed to create the illusion of a precocious, premature sexuality.

Full article. Worth a read.

I mean, it really freaks me out. This aspect particularly, how do you sheild your daughters from this? Is it even possible now?

I compare this to when we were young girls. When I think about it, I can vividly recall owning several pairs of these hard plastic slide-on high heels that must have been awful for my feet. They were hot pink and bright yellow I think, and they had interchangeable snap on bows and sparkly things on the front. They made an awful clack-clack noise as I walked up and down our polished floorboard hallway, and I think they are the root of the reason my mother now hates for me to leave my heels on when I visit. We also had little eye-shadow compacts that had about 25 different colours in them, and we would revel in putting on our peacock blue eye shadow. We owned these things, and yet, it seems so much worse now? Is it purely perspective? Those old enough to remember, like Mackay, disagree. It is worse now.

Mackay ends his Opinion piece by blaming the parents, becuase at the end of the day, they are the ones buying leopard print over-the-knee-boots for their 3-year-old. So maybe there is hope for us Future Parents.

More on bad parenting choices, and a recent discovery in Violent Acres, a blogger with a seemingly massive chip on her shoulder and a writing style that is virtually scornful of her readers and their ability to make money for her simply by clicking on her page. She has some ok things to say though and must have something going for her and I've been reading her site ever since I came across this post "Two phrases that Destroyed American Culture"
I really beleive that part is true, and I loathe the concept that "the Customer is always right" because its complete bullshit.
She recounts in this post a ridiculous situation in her family where they have two christmases so that one spoilt brat can recieve two lots of presents. Its so prepostrous I'm not convinced its entirely true, but possibly an embellishment to a truly horrid child.
Anyone that thinks this is a good idea for their child deserves to have said child taken away from them, as these children will grow up to become lazy self indulgent adults who contribute nothing to society. People like Paris Hilton.

And lastly, children behaving badly in our own backyard. If you haven't already heard/read about it, a Melbourne teenager threw a party over the weekend while his parents were on holidays. While this is generally not unheard of, boys will be boys and teenagers will act up while their parents are away, the stupid moron put the info on MySpace and 500+ people showed up. From the TV footage last night it looked like a fairly nice neighbourhood, clearly parents who had tried to provide their child with a balanced upbringing in not Over-priveledged surroundings.
What I thought was incredible about the story is that even though the massive group spilled out of the house, onto the street, damaging neighbours property and terrifying residents, this stupid kid, Corey Delaney, doesn't even feel bad. He doesn't think any of it is his fault,

In fact, Corey went one step better yesterday.

"Best party ever, that's what everyone's saying," was his verdict.

When asked by the Nine Network what advice he had for teenagers considering throwing a party while parents were away, he said: "Get me to do it for you."

What an utter idiot. This FOOL was also all over the 6 o'clock news boasting how great he was, parading in front of the reporters with this RIDICULOUS puffy hooded jacket without a shirt on. What he thinks he's suddenly P. Diddy??
You know you're encountering true teenage mindset when they come out with pearlers like that. There is just an inherent inability to accept responsiblity and to look at the bigger picture.
I can appreciate all this now of course. To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid.

Tomorrow- 14 year old girls know best. My tale of Young and Stupid.