A hit number in the 1960 play Bye Bye Birdie began with a classic parent's lament: "I don't know what's wrong with these kids today. Why can't they be like we were?"
The answer, of course, is they're just like we were. Sometimes that's good, often it's not. Every generation of kids coping with raging hormones and a need to express independence and individuality will use language, wear clothes, listen to music, and dance in ways that may offend their parents. Many will engage in conduct that their parents think is wrong or unwise.
Should modern parents just relax and let kids do their thing, confident that no lasting harm will come of it? I don't think so.
Sure, we should recognize the inherent limitations of parenting and the futility and impropriety of trying to control every phase of our children's lives, but that doesn't justify passive or permissive parenting. Although we can't control our kids, we can influence them. And when necessary, we can confine their options by saying no and backing it up with whatever tools we have.
Parents may disagree on where to draw the line when it comes to sloppy or sexy clothing, Internet use, loud music with crude lyrics, and body piercing and tattoos, but lines must be drawn somewhere and enforced. This is particularly important regarding issues about alcohol, drugs, and sex. Kids need and deserve guidance and boundaries.
Our children won't necessarily accept our views of right and wrong, but if we state them clearly and continually, they're more likely to consider them.
-character counts
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