Just an "Old Fashioned" Merle Rant- Not for the Faint of Heart

"Times, They are a Changing!"

When I was a kid if I even looked at my Mother the wrong way it could earn me a bloody lip.Today, that would be called "child abuse," but back then it was called "discipline." Today my mom would be serving life in prison for her past actions. Of course, back then there was actually someone home to raise the kids. That someone was called a Mother.

Today's young generation are severely lacking in manners, respect and responsibility. In our race to have it all, greed has blinded us to society's most important asset "our children." Instead of taking the time to raise them correctly, we throw things at them to make ourselves feel better for not being there. When you're busy climbing the corporate ladder it's hard to keep track of what's going on in your own home.

All of the materialistic things have spoiled kids to the point they expect everything to be handed to them and think things such as driving, which used to be a privilege, is also automatically given to them when they come of age. Don't forget the insurance and new car they demand as well.

Remember when you were younger? If you wanted to drive, first you had to buy your own car and be able to pay for your own insurance. That meant that ugly three letter word, JOB. Your parents made it obvious from the beginning if you wanted something you had to work for it. There were no "car fairies" pulling a brand new SUV into the driveway with a red bow on it like some teenagers have today.

Our cars were not new. They were usually at least ten years old with rust holes so big you could stick your head in them. Sometimes the only thing holding up the exhaust system was a coat hanger. Try getting a 16-year-old to buy something like that in today's world. If it isn't new, they don't want it. They think money grows on trees and Mommy and Daddy should just go into debt so they don't have to be embarrassed in front of their friends.

By not allowing kids to work for what they want, they never learn responsibility. Many times these are the same people still living at home at 24 years old. They're still laying on the couch waiting for the world to hand them something; usually their life. Are parents really doing them any favors by not teaching them to stand up on their own two feet? I think not.

Whatever happened to manners? That used to be something instilled during the early growing years. I called people "Mr." and "Mrs.," as my mother said it was rude for children to call adults by their first names. I said "please" and "thank you," held doors open for the elderly and actually had table manners when I ate at the dinner table.

Somehow along the way in our scurry for the American dollar, we threw manners out the window. Are these lessons no longer worthy of our limited time? I see kids with foul mouths who don't even know what "excuse me" means, let alone ever use it. They've never written a thank you note in their life and are the same people who display no courtesy on our already over crowded roadways. We've raised a generation of ill mannered kids who unfortunately have turned into rude adults.

Without manners and respect how far can they get in this world? A basic understanding of simple etiquette is essential in life. No one likes inconsiderate people, and once exposed as such those that know them will isolate themselves from further exposure for fear of catching the very disease they have.

Society now is quick to blame someone else for everything that happens to them. That's lack of responsibility rearing its ugly head. Along with the "blame game" has come lawsuits. We've become a very litigious society. Why work for a paycheck when you can simply blame others for your misfortune and take their hard earned cash? What we have going on in society today was created by a generation of two parent working households with no one home raising the children. We've brought this on ourselves, and for what? The love of money?

There's a problem here, a big problem. Everyone needs to stop what they're doing and step down from the corporate ladder and listen. Manners, respect and responsibility need to be brought back into child rearing. If it means finding the wise elder up on the hill who still remembers these values and have them teach them to our children or breaking the glass, and releasing these ancient teachings back into the mainstream. Our future depends on it.