From this pix 3 1/2 years ago with Mike, Syd and newborn Anthony...
to now with Julie (Jim's daughter) holding Anthony.
And Anthony who is already techno savvy at 3
and older brother Syd who just turned 8 this week.
Syd tells me he is the 2nd best kid on his basketball team,
hee hee,
and he's also smart as a whip.
Syd
It truly is remarkable but maybe kind of sad too
how much these kids absorb and know at such an early age these days.
And how different parenting seems
with all the resources our children have at their disposal for our grands.
Is it a good thing?
Only time will tell how this new generation will turn out.
I really hope I live long enough to see it.
And I hope it's positive.
But based on what I'm seeing in our sheltered upscale neighborhood
and community here in Anaheim Hills,
the generation before these young ones (the older teens)
are going everywhere in their pajama bottoms,
and don't want to work, get a job, or volunteer in their communities.
And the drugs,
not just the pot,
are easily available at our local high schools
with Heroin being the popular drug of choice.
These kids here seem so entitled, slovenly and crazy disrespectful
and that scares me.
I had a couple teens a few months back who were jumping our pool fence
which is prohibited and posted tell me to "F" off when I called them on it.
And when our security showed up,
they were too chicken to take them on and let them stay.
Unbelievable!!!
And of course we are seeing less and less consequences.
I know there are exceptions but overall this is what I'm seeing.
Also noticing the boy and girl scouts/camp fire girls are a dying breed.
Is this just in Southern California or where you live too?
Are you as worried as I am?
Sorry for this rant,
it just kind of all spilled out.
Or maybe I'm just getting old and frightened.
LOL
And have I mentioned yet how much I dislike our Governor?
I better not let myself get started on that.
Ha ha!
You have had so many hard-working engaged children pass through your classes, and your grandsons are very cute. They would comfort me when it seems like everything is crumbling.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this heartwarming comment. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels like our culture and society is crumbling, a good term for it. I think we are loosing our standards that our parents put into place for us. And yes, I've been so very blessed to have had several generations of hard-working students because I was fortunate to teach at a school that housed the highest of achievers. I was spoiled that's for sure. Haha!
Deletein our new neighborhood it's a mixed bag ... one kid who used to live across the street got into all kinds of trouble (stealing kids' bikes and throwing them into the community pool for one) ... but the boys next door who are in 7th and 11th grades always say hello and are incredibly respectful ... the older boy used to help Don unload garden soil and mulch, but now plays varsity baseball and has a real job, so the younger brother is our new helper
ReplyDeleteYes, sounds like your neighbor boys next door are being well parented. How nice that is to see and hear. I knew that had to be exceptions. But how awful about the young man across the street. And I'm sure there are plenty but not enough anymore. The families I see when we go out to dinner don't dress for the level of the restaurants anymore, with many of the children being severely overweight. Everyone is on their phones not paying attention and teaching their children how to behave in social areas. The list is just so long Liz, I feel very discouraged for our country. But again, maybe it's just here in Southern California. I do realize we are much more relaxed then in other parts of the country. And so many of our neighbors are leaving the state for Texas, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. A mass exodus it seems.
Deletewhat comes to mind is "think global, act local" ... as noted in the comment above, you have positively impacted thousands of students over the years ... and are now influencing these two sweet little guys (love how much they resemble each other ... and their dad) ... and even if they go through the a rebel phase in their teen years, they will most likely come out better than fine on the other end of it all
DeleteI love how your glass is half full Liz, ha ha, not mine sadly. And I wish I had more say so in these two little guy's lives. Because I'm not the "real" grandparent I have to sometimes bite my tongue when I'm around them as well as their parents. It's the teacher in me that sees things and wants to correct or give consequences, but it's not my place. And to the other kids I've hopefully influenced in my teaching career, I know I did an awful lot of parenting in my classroom. And it became even more so as the years kept going by. The standards that we grew up with are just not in place like they used to be. I feel so very fortunate that I was a child during the 50's and 60's. What a wonderful time to grow up!
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