Kids Today Are Soft.
When I was visiting my sister, my nephew enjoyed repeating the rhyme about monkeys jumping on a bed. Want to hear it? Here it go.
Two little monkeys, jumping on the bed. One fell down and broke his head. The mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed.”
I did not think much of it until my sister turned to me and said, “Do you remember how it used to go when we were kids?”
*Blink*
I said, “What do you mean?”
She said, “It used to go: “The other called the doctor and the doctor said, ‘That’s what you get for jumping on the bed.’” It was far more punitive when we were children!”
And, in fact, she’s right. When I was a kid, the moral of the story was sort of, “EH, you got what was comin’ to you, kid. You jump on the bed, you might break your head. It’d be your own damn fault.”
Now? Now it’s some Dr. Oz bullshit quack who puts his hands on his hips, tilts his head and says, “Well! We won’t be trying that again, will we?”
Kids today are soft.
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Just a random attorney writing about daily life with Little Filthy, my rotten dog.
March 31st, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Man I tell my kids the truth… life isn’t fair, sometimes other kids won’t like you, you have to brush your teeth or you’ll look and smell like that homeless guy we gave food to awhile ago, some people are mean, and if you come home pregnant I’ll kick your ass.
I mean shoot…why blow hot air up their skirts, they might as well hear the truth. I think kids are smarter than people give them credit for.
March 31st, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Yeah, this from the tough guy that puts a coat on his dog.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Oooh Tiffany is a kitten with a whip!
I’m a big believer in being more honest with kids too. Especially with food stuff. My sister will tell her kid “Three more bites” and then after three, she says “Ok 2 more” and so on. That’s just lying!
April 1st, 2010 at 3:07 am
Hm. I don’t remember that version from when *I* was a kid. M
Must be a generational difference.
heh.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:03 am
A kid was screaming at the top of her lungs in the library where I work. Mommy calmy said Ït’s okay to feel like this, but you have to express it differently”. When my kid (more than a few years ago) pulled that crap, he got hauled out of the place very quickly and not so nicely told to knock it off – no wonder kids are soft, mommies and daddies these days are soft – in the head.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:17 am
@Tiffany – My mother never glossed over the truth, either. However, I suspect you balance it far better than she did. She sort of put the truth in your mouth, watched you chew and made you swallow it.
Susan is right – you’re a kitten with a whip!
@Debra – Dude, when the wind chill hits -15 and the dog is shaking after 5 seconds of being outside…yup, he gets a coat. Hell, do they sell dog earmuffs?
@Susan – I think a lot of kids can tell when they’re being snowed. heh. 27 more bites!
@MommaSunshine – Well, who knows *what* you folks up in Canadia say. You guys were soft 40 years ago.
@ruthm – Smackdown!
April 1st, 2010 at 8:32 am
I don’t think its a ‘kids today’ vs ‘when we were kids’ kind of thing. I think its your family’s gestalt. As it was my family’s when I was growing up.
I had not a single cavity until I decided when i was about 9 or 10 that brushing my teeth was a pain and I wasn’t going to do it anymore. And my mom argued with me for a while and then basically said ‘Fine – you’ll get what you deserve.’ And boy did I.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:44 am
aw man, i had softy coddling parents who sang that rhyme the same way as your nephew. i feel unprepared for the world, suddenly.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Sorry,sorry. I’m glad you put a coat on him…I was just teasing. I’ll even knit him some boots!
BTW, I think you’re all right. Nobody is helping their child by letting them think the world is fair and that life is going to be “even-steven”
or that you won’t ever be hurt. A game of dodge ball now and then can be fun (just don’t aim for the head!) I don’t mean to raise them cynically, but honestly.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I love the cute picture of the monkeys jumping on the bed. I am easy to please and I am taking tomorrow off and my head is already on vacation. La la laaaaahhhhh
April 1st, 2010 at 1:59 pm
It’s like food and exercise. I tell my girls…eat what you want – have a slice of cake, just don’t eat the whole cake. Then when you’re done haul your ass up and take a jog around the block with me.
You exercise because you have to, like paying your taxes. Just know it’s a fact of life and stop fighting it.
The other day I made my 12 year old wax her eyebrows, lol. She has thick, dark eyebrows like her mom and there was a distinct unibrow situation developing. I’m honest friends… “baby girl. I love you, but girls need two eyebrows. It’s part of being a girl…suck it up and it’ll be over in a minute.” lol. She took it like a trooper.
I mean really, I don’t want her going to middle school and having some snotty girl or some boy she likes making her feel like crap. In the end honesty saved her a little heartache.
April 1st, 2010 at 2:04 pm
@Instigator – I doubt my parents even knew of another version. heh.
@Alice – I’m shocked you haven’t been eaten alive already.
@Debra – *laugh* No, no, I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to sound defensive! heh. I admit… I like the little fellow. I might wrap him in bubble wrap for a car ride, if I could.
@Pippi – I have Friday Vacation Envy.
@Tiffany – Dude, I’m right there with ya. If the people closest to you won’t tell you that you’ve got a schmutz on your face, who will?
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I’ve heard both versions — from kindergarten – 4th grade i went to a very rough school with a terrible reputation where I heard your version hahah, then grades 5-8 i went to a much better school where I heard the soft version! I can’t quite remember which one my parents chose!
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:48 pm
So completely true! How often do parents take their kids out of restaurants or grocery stores now? It used to happen often.
I didn’t pay any notice to the monkey song changing, but come to think of it….your right! It did. Thanks for the reminder to be cognizant of my kids’ upbringing.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:46 am
roflmao…this is hysterical…and sooo true.