Compare and Contrast

How did the upbringing of our elders' differ from the upbringing we have today.

As we grow older, our parents come to realize that we are not the immature and helpless children we used to be. The days of going to Disney World with the family and holding hands in the roller coaster rides are now a distant memory. It's sad to think that the children they thought would cease to grow up are now adolescents and have developed a mind and will of their own. Every parent wants to give their children the childhood or lifestyle they could never have and all the materialistic things that go along with it. This is especially evident in modern day society, where designer- clad nine year olds and mini-motorcycle toys are considered the norm. When asked how their childhood was, our grandparents would never even dream of such a lifestyle. They were used to living a live of normalcy, and didn't care about expensive things like we do today. It bothers them to hear of how self-absorbed and dependent today's youth has become of others.

Our elders grew up with a completely different mentality then the one we have today and feel that it is impossible to understand the way us "teenagers" think. Conventional wisdom has made us believe that our current generation might be the "worst generation we've ever seen". In my personal opinion, I disagree with this statement. I don't think it's possible for one to compare two generations with each other. Both of these generations have its pro's and cons, which in turn molded the mentality of the people living in that era. For example, people in the late 50's and 60's didn't own computers, cellular phones and other electronic devices as we do today. In our society, most people can't live without those items and find it necessary for them to continue to live a certain lifestyle. Our ancestors were also brought up in a very strict environment and were badly informed about many of today's issues. Sex, drugs and alcohol were always present, but didn't have the strong effect on their youth as it does today. Today, the average age for an individual to engage in a sexual act, be it kissing or having sex, is 15. In the 60's, the average age was 19. This alone shows the enormous social change in today's peers and how flexible and liberal many of our parents have become.

Our parents find it necessary for them to please their children in every way they can, so that they won't rebel against them. Mothers go shopping for expensive lingerie with their 15 year old daughters and don't take the time to think about the consequences of her "innocent" act. What many people don't realize is that teenagers and young adults today are far more mature than those of earlier generations.