Nope no hijack, just a discussion about a symptom of one of America's problems.
I feel (opinion) that the majority of todays problem kids are the result of kids from prior hippy's. The reason I say this is not the drug issue but one of an overuse of the "freedom to do their own thing" and a lack of concern for parenting. The hippys rebelled from the way their parnts raised them and figured they would do it in a much more "free" environment, IE. lack of control and concern. As a result their kids became chronlogically adults and had kids of their own. Since they didn't have "parents" they have no clue or example to follow and tend to ignore their offspring in the search for their own entertainment and "fulfillment". It isn't the kids fault. Hell, they were hardly even house broken by their "parental units" much less taught how to behave and right from wrong.
An over emphasis on "giving" the kid self esteem instead of teaching them how to EARN it by their actions in the school system just puts the frosting on the cake. They have been taught that what THEY want is paramount and the world / society owes it to them. It is the "duty" of all others concerned with caring for them to give the kid whatever he /she wants. This is a self perpetuationg problem that bites quite a few kids on the butt when they get out in the "REAL WORLD" and their boss and others don't give them what they want. (Straffo I agree with ya)
Elf, how did the boy turn out? Did he turn himself around?
