Thread: A Telling Story of Youth Today

When I was a kid, I used to wash cars everywhere, repaired things etc. I was always busy and earning money for some nice things. Some of them I still have, because it took me a long time and lots of sweat to get them. And I really liked it that way. If I did not that, I crafted something, was together with friends or took my running shoes and went into the woods...

Today, I see it with the kids of my friends. They have literally everything ... and "burn" for nothing (don't know if that translates). No dreams, nothing they want to achieve. TV, Youtube or facebook. One even dropped high school for that crap. "What's Your interest. There must be something that You really like to do?". "I don't know". "This?", "Yehhs", "That?", "Yehhs"...

That combined with overly careful parents, who freely become chaufeurs and servants to their kids ....

It's just the world that changes faster than we old old dinosaurs. Youngsters of today have grown in a whole different world than we that are bit older. I know it well; i have to work with the young 19-21 kids every single day with the navy crew recruits. They are ok, it's just that you have to tell and explain everything by the hand; you cannot except them to use their own brains. That is just the way there is, they have grown into to table that's already made for them, and now as they have to use their own brains they are all helpless. But once you have teached them the basics they are ok.
There are exceptions; usually those who from the countryside are ok, while those who have been city hiphoppers are wasted; also those who are refugees, say Serbs, Somalians, Russians etc are ok. And with those who seem to be hopeless i've just said that just stay out of my sight for the rest of your service then we'll be ok.
As said, it's the world that changes, we old dinos just keep thinking about how it used to be back then. Probably you just have to tell the kid what to do and what time, ask if there's anything he didn't understand and then explain the rest. Do not give him a change to play solo.

Originally Posted by RMarsh

In general, I am with you Clamup1, but as a fellow servicemember, I can say that the men and women I serve with have the kind of work ethic that we are all saying is missing from society. So maybe I am just not seeing the laziness or lack of motivation from the younger generation because of the fact that the 18, 19, 20 year old people I work with, for lack of a better term, "get it". Don't lose faith in the youth just yet, there are some out there to carry the torch

My oldest son is among those ranks and he bitches to me about the lazy no good..........

Granted he made E5 in 19 months.

I look around and wonder about how we will pull out of our situation in years to come, an answer I have not found.

I can't even get my OWN 15YO kid to do something around here, let alone some random kid down the street!

I don't think this 'problem' is limited to the USA, in fact, it's not limited to our time, I believe Socrates or Plato or someone was whinging about lazy youth a little while ago.

Actually, the issue, my dear Glen, lies more with yourself. It appears to me by your very lyrical post that the years are catching up with you, and I think you're doing just what all us old guys do, sit around and ponder on the lazy youth, mad cap world and crazy inventions.

Best wishes to you Sir, have a glass of port, a pipe, put on your slippers and read the paper by the fire...

My son turns 16 tomorrow, we will break a cake tonight, a little later. He asked me today, on the way to the archery range, if he could get a job this summer. He has been on my butt for 6 years about a job. He wants to work at the Publix grocery store that we go to. They have known him since he was 3 years old, coming in & out of the store. I talked to the manager last week & he's on board with it. The manager & I will strictly control his schedule so it does not interfere with his sports at school.
I told him I would allow him to work if he got his driving exam over this summer. He has been driving(illegally) since 12. Back county roads & parking lots mostly.
The poor kid actually thinks that working will be fun, I think he is in for a surprise.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

My son turns 16 tomorrow, we will break a cake tonight, a little later. He asked me today, on the way to the archery range, if he could get a job this summer. He has been on my butt for 6 years about a job. He wants to work at the Publix grocery store that we go to. They have known him since he was 3 years old, coming in & out of the store. I talked to the manager last week & he's on board with it. The manager & I will strictly control his schedule so it does not interfere with his sports at school.
I told him I would allow him to work if he got his driving exam over this summer. He has been driving(illegally) since 12. Back county roads & parking lots mostly.
The poor kid actually thinks that working will be fun, I think he is in for a surprise.

Disagree 100% John,with the way I think you have raised your son,he may have a strong work ethic,some work may not be fun,but all young people should realize that any work is good work,be it the garbage man, the gardner,the cleaning lady that scrubs out your toilets,the care giver when you are in diapers,any work work today is good work,all work no matter how menial,is good work JMO

Originally Posted by InHonorOfRay

Next time he asks if you have any work for him, tell him he has to do a probationary period where he won't get paid to make up for not showing up this time. If he does that, he can earn your trust again. As Apollo Creed from Rocky 4 says "Some people need to learn the hard way"

That would probably be unethical, I'd pay him for the probationary period after he has done further tasks beyond that of the probation.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I tell my students they can't show up to their jobs late, they can't be on their cell phones at work, they can't pick and choose what tasks to do, etc etc. They just nod and continue doing whatever they feel like doing.

I hate to say it, but I look forward to the first time each is not called back, or laid off, or whatever just so they can finally get it through their heads.

Well, really I don't. I hope they see it happen to someone else and remember back when I taught them better...

I am pretty confident that people with that attitude will convince themselves that it is not their fault, and that someone else is to blame.

I am only in my mid thirties but still have a youth of today attitude. I am driven crazy by people's attitude to work, mostly the younger guys, but a good number of the older guys too, I think working FIFO gives you a false idea of what a hard days work is.

I have to disagree with the assessment that the world is getting better despite the grumblings of old men. Financially, perhaps it is true. Perhaps. More young millionaires doesn't mean there ain't more destitute young people, working-poor, single mothers, drug problems, housing crises, crime, prisoners in jail (probably one of the few growth industries in the western world - jail building). Western society is rotting from the inside out, but hey, as long as we all stay plugged into our iClones we can drown out the death rattle.

Changing the measure is like sweeping dirt under a carpet. GDP doesn't measure the health of a society. But it seems it's all we care about nowadays.

James.

Originally Posted by gugi

It seems that old men have been complaining about the decline in the next generations for as long as the humankind has existed. Yet, somehow every subsequent generation has achieved more and lived better than their parents and grandparents. And the values of the society have been constantly improving over thousands of years.

We currently have more young millionaires than ever before, so somebody must be doing something right. Also young people are far more tolerant, compassionate, and non-judgmental than the older ones.

I wouldn't really hold it against the kid for not showing up at an arrangement his mother made few hours earlier. May be he is a total slacker and only asked for work in the first place because his parents made him do it, or may be that afternoon he had to do something far more important than stacking branches (e.g. homework).
But it is absolutely his mother's fault for not calling back when the thing she committed to did not happen. She's an adult and when she makes a commitment she is responsible for following through and if necessary make any amends.

And, of course, let's not forget that kids don't just happen to be what they are - if they turn out bad the fault is primarily with the previous generation - yes that means all of us.

Your a lot more tolerant of that kid then myself. Yes he's a kid but at 15 he also makes conscious decisions. The decision to not show up shows real lack of responsibility and respect.

I'm no old man, I'm 27 years old, I didn't grow up poor, nobody ever told me get a job to buy your school clothes..... But as a kid I was drawn to help my father with whatever house work he was doing, and when I was only 12 years old I remember begging him to let me get a job. He got me a job at a marina when I did some of the harder crap work one can imagine all for $5 an hour. I didn't care... I worked at that marina and a beverage center all though jr. High and highs cool. Never asked my folks for a penny and they were doing good.

My point isn't how I was, but rather how the kid who flaked out on you was.
Blame the parents.... Sure... Just write it off as he's a good kid maybe he was just doing his homework.... Yes, probinly not. The kid just didn't care. That's why he didn't show up. He didn't loose anything that day by not waxing the boat and stacking the branches. Even though the kid was a no show he still has dress shoes, play shoes, some more dress shoes for when the goat ate his other pair, Xbox, Ybox, Zbox.... He probibily will drive a nicer car then us in his 2nd year of high school..... Bet you he even rakes his peach fuzz face with a $10 40 blade cartridge razor complete with shaking vibrating pleasure feature which is probinly used elsewhere other then his face.

Lol. Whatever. Maybe one day he'll grow up an realize... But looking around at some of my peers today in my age group..... Prob not,