Society evolves as historical events happen, economies develop, and new demands occur, and these changes influence how new generations behave and are educated. Indeed, years ago, generalized parental strategies and end relatively similar expectations from children built a strip system of values and appropriate activities for different ages. Today, young individuals have much more freedom of choice, and ways to grow them diversify even under the same cultural or national background (Lillard & Taggart, 2019). The interesting aspect is that these children represent the same community, and their inevitable interactions cause changes in their self-perception and how they should react to their parent’s decisions. This paper aims to discuss how child behavior became worse than years ago because of the changes in society, norms, and parenting styles.
Childhood is the period when a person develops their character yet still dependent on their parents’ authority, whose activities and decisions are frequently dictated by society or the community where they live. For example, in prevalently wealthy areas, it is common to devote free time to sports and education, while in places where poverty thrives, young individuals spend their days on the streets (Hemelryk Donald, 2020). Today, diverse backgrounds representatives live in the same districts, and their children interact at schools and playgrounds, adopting their peer’s behaviors even if they are against family norms. Furthermore, the number of children per family decreased, especially in urban and well-developed areas, and as a result, they feel more protected and allow themselves to behave worse than their parents did years ago. How societies live, and communities interact influences the activities and conduct of the children, making them less disciplined.
The norms of children’s behavior and development also changed during the last decades because of the progress in the economy and technology and the consequent need for better education and human capabilities. Boys and girls today are expected to be curious, active, stress-resistant, and able to make their conclusions. The developmental program created by Montessori reflects these modern requirements: it encourages parents to reduce their involvement and allow their children to make decisions and face the consequences (Lillard & Taggart, 2019). Youngsters behave worse; however, the experiences they are exposed to in such a trial-and-error approach are more valuable for their future than strictly following authorities’ instructions.
Parenting styles changed as the strictly disciplined generation grew up and faced enormous challenges, such as low self-esteem, fear of self-actualization, and difficulty dealing with non-guided situations. These outcomes influenced how their children are being raised: the evident sign is switching from an authoritarian approach to a collaborative one (Mak et al., 2020). The modern youngster has the option to express themselves more freely and convince their parent to change their decisions. The behavior worsens as children fail to learn their caregivers’ absolute authority and, in severe cases, may result in issues with socialization and legal conflicts during adolescence. However, it is important to emphasize that the countries where authoritarian parenting is prevalent have higher poverty rates and are less developed (Schneider & Schenck-Fontaine, 2022). Thus, the bad behavior of children might be perceived as an inevitable sacrifice for humanity’s progress.
Raising children is fundamental for the development of humanity, and parenting practices evolve within social norms and tendencies. As the world faces rapid technological progress, the expectations of young generations change, and their behaviors also modify. Society restructuring and interaction between families of diverse backgrounds mix children’s perceptions of what can be done and what is not. Changed expectations from youngsters make educators and caregivers allow them to behave worse for helping them gather life experiences. Parenting styles also became less authoritarian to enable children to express themselves through different activities, including misconduct.
References
Hemelryk Donald, S. (2020). Transcendent parenting: Raising children in the digital age. Journal of Children and Media, 14(3), 396-399.
Lillard, A. S., & Taggart, J. (2019). Pretend play and fantasy: What if Montessori was right? Child Development Perspectives, 13(2), 85-90.
Mak, M. C. K., Yin, L., Li, M., Cheung, R. Y. H., & Oon, P. T. (2020). The relation between parenting stress and child behavior problems: Negative parenting styles as mediator. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(11), 2993-3003.
Schneider, W., & Schenck-Fontaine, A. (2022). Growing up unequal: Objective and subjective economic disparities and authoritarian parenting. Child Abuse & Neglect, 130, 105332.