Parents blamed for 'little princess and prince' generation

Parents blamed for 'little princess' generation
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
Last Updated: 1:56am GMT 25/03/2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/25/nteachers525.xml

A growing number of children are being turned into spoilt "little princes and princesses" by their parents, a teachers' union leader has warned.

Many start school without proper moral boundaries because they are not being taught good behaviour in the home, said Amanda Haehner, president of the NASUWT.

She claimed full-time education - and large class sizes - represented a culture shock for such children who often go off the rails at school.


Addressing the union's annual conference in Birmingham, Miss Haehner said they were often "desperately unhappy" and searching for boundaries that would make them feel more secure.

She warned that the problem was fuelled by the testing culture in schools which risked producing a "Dickensian education system".

"If the message received by children is that their wants and desires are paramount, then being one of 30 in a class is always going to be a culture shock," she said. "The rise of 'the little prince' and, increasingly, his female sidekick is a cause for concern.

"The little prince never has to do anything he finds difficult or boring, he does not have to take any responsibility for his actions, anything negative that happens is someone else's responsibility and if this right to a stress-free existence is questioned, a doting relative will appear immediately to sort everything out."

The comments are the latest in a series of remarks by teaching unions criticising the lack of effort made by many parents to prepare their children for school.

Miss Haehner added: "Children will always model the behaviour and attitudes they see around them.

"A lack of manners and polite behaviour are not the preserve of the young - ask any of our colleagues working in customer service jobs. Too many children arrive at school with no sense of any basic social etiquette."

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

This wonderful "phenomenon" isn't only in the UK, it's here too.

Thanks Captain Obvious! Thanks for letting us know that parents who spoil their children, and do nothing to teach them boundaries, make their children into soulless, entitle-monsters.

And this is somehow news? We are going down the shitter.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

at least its being talked aboutin a prestigious paper. which is a step forward.

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Not surprised.=P

Not to mention the fact today's kids are so coddled they can't even eat peanut butter due to allergies OR watch children's shows that their PARENTS grew up with!

No kidding.

Banshee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not surprised.=P
>
> Not to mention the fact today's kids are so
> coddled they can't even eat peanut butter due to
> allergies OR watch children's shows that their
> PARENTS grew up with!
>
> No kidding.

Hell, they're so coddled they can't fathom giving up things like cable, cell phones, car payments,new clothes or taking the first crappy job that comes along so they can live away from home.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

Banshee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
"..............OR watch children's shows that their PARENTS grew up with!"

My dad and I used to sit and watch all the old Looney Tunes together when I was a kid and it was so cool because they're the same ones he watched as a kid. I thought it was awesome!

did you know they are trying to ban and cut any cartoons that show smoking.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/aug/21/broadcasting.smoking

Smoking scenes are to be edited out of classic Tom and Jerry cartoons, following a complaint to the broadcast regulator that they are inappropriate for a show aimed at children.

The complaint was about two separate cartoons - Texas Tom and Tennis Chumps - transmitted repeatedly this year on Turner Broadcasting's children's channel, Boomerang.

Boomerang's audience is made up largely of children - 56% are aged four to 14 years old.

In Texas Tom, Tom tries to impress a female cat by making a roll-up cigarette, lighting and smoking it with just one hand, while Tennis Chumps sees Tom's opponent in a match smoking a large cigar.

Following the complaint, Turner conducted a review of the Tom and Jerry library to assess the incidence of smoking and the context in which the scenes appear

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

The cartoons of today suck. No wonder these kids are all screwed up. Except for Sponge Bob and Family Guy.

They're also screwed up because their parents DO let them watch shows like Family Guy -- thinking that animated = children's show.

I dunno, I think these days of mass consumerisim and the glorification of stupidity, clever animated shows that are funny on a lot of different levels are almost a necesissity. I don't think Family Guy is the best of the lot, but it's pretty good.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

Sponge Bob rocks. I wonder how many parents would continue to let their darling pweshus still watch it if they realized how many gay undertones there are in that show?

Family Guy is hilarious. We watch it every night. It is definitely NOT a show for anybody under the age of about 14. But breeders think that anything that is animated is for the kyds.

I want to work on animated cartoons one day, since I'm a cartoonist.

Cartoons are a great stuff to watch while growing up, but just because it's animated DOESN'T mean it's always appropriate for a kid to see. There are even animated Japanese pornography where underaged girls get their clothes tore off and sodomized by octopus tentacles. No kidding.

I love Powerpuff Girls, Transformers, and Simpsons, BTW.

Futurama, Boondocks, Simpsons.