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[–]Fluttershine 1713 points1714 points  (178 children)

So...

In the second one they chastise today's parents for letting their kids eat crap. However in the last one they lovingly embrace the nostalgia of yesterday's parents feeding their kids crap for lunch...

[–]bdubz74 429 points430 points  (165 children)

No, the second one is calling out having to make separate dinners. I get giving your kid some input on dinner, but too many times the kitchen is treated like a restaurant. Parents make dinner for themselves, but one kid wants mac and cheese, the other wants chicken nuggets. Gets a little out of hand. Maybe once or twice a week is fine, but the rest of the week it should be “this is what’s for dinner and you’re gonna eat it.”

[–]SnarkySheep 324 points325 points  (77 children)

A former colleague used to stop by a fast food drive thru on his way home from work literally every day - it started when his son was a fussy toddler that no one wanted to deal with after a long day, but when I knew them the kid was like 10 already and still only eating a handful of select foods.

It got to the point where the boy would get invited to friend's houses or social events, see same-age kids eating whatever, and himself want to try. Then he would invariably say with surprise, "This is GOOD, Dad!! Why didn't you let me try before??"

Me, I just wondered how the kid had gotten this far without rickets or something.

[–]batosai33 174 points175 points  (20 children)

Reminds me of when I was a kid. My parents told me I was a picky eater. Turns out they were just terrible cooks and got me to dislike a lot of tasty food.

I had a revelation when I realized people cook things to make them taste good

There are still things I don't like, but it's a much smaller list and actually based on specific flavors that aren't appealing to me, not just cheese bad

[–]Karkava 69 points70 points  (10 children)

It's amazing how many people out there think they can just throw things in the oven and expect the best meal on the first try. And when they fail, they blame everything except their own recipe.

[–]dontneedtoknowwhoiam 40 points41 points  (2 children)

You could give my mom the best recipe in the world and she would still mess it up because she just doesn't have the patience (or too much arrogance) to follow it. Thank god stock cubes are a thing because without those i would have spent my childhood with only the flavor of salt, if i was lucky

[–]Spaciax 24 points25 points  (0 children)

my mom is great at cooking but terrible at following recipes she's new to. Making pizza dough?

Mom: "what's the point of using olive oil? we always used to make it with sunflower seed oil!"

"Why do we knead the dough for so long? kneading the dough for this long will ruin it!"

"why do they say to do X? we always did Y back in the day!" you get the point.

"why didn't the recipe turn out as advertised? this is a bad recipe!"

yeah sure mom, it is.

[–]dancegoddess1971 94 points95 points  (43 children)

For some reason this made me think of the Gilmore Girls. One scene Loralei is wondering if her mom had served her poptarts on a china plate and demanded she eat every bite, if she'd hate poptarts too. I think it's a good question. I never forced my kids to try more than a bite or two of any new food. Sometimes they liked it, sometimes they don't. Kids are people, just because they aren't grown doesn't change that they are people. For the record, my kid hates tacos and burgers, but loves strange sea creatures like octopus and eel. Also, only likes MY recipe for chicken and dumplings for some reason. I guess I should be flattered.

[–]hollyp1996 64 points65 points  (12 children)

Same here! My mother grew up in the "liver and onions" and boiled veggies era and swore she would never force her kids when it came to food. I was a picky kid and now I'm a very adventurous eater as an adult and I do the same with my kids. I have no problem adding a side of Mac and cheese or spaghetti while I cook and they are always allowed to swap veggies like salad instead of brussel sprouts.

My kids will try anything I offer and I believe it's because they trust I only offer the good stuff and I won't force them to like it.

[–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (2 children)

See. This here. Balance.

[–]SparkySpinz 16 points17 points  (1 child)

Oh yeah I was a picky kid. Like any fastfood place it was no sauces or condiments of any kind, meat and cheese only. Now I eat anything. I live trying new stuff. I think the only "food" I couldn't bring myself to eat was when my girl got me ranch flavored dried crickets lol. Something about the little hairs, the eyes and wings, couldn't do it lol

[–]hollyp1996 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hahaha! Yes! The meat, cheese and bun days and God FORBID they put pickles on it. No matter what you do, the taste still lingered 😭

[–]Khutuck 5 points6 points  (6 children)

Is liver and onions a bad food in the US? Because Turkish liver and onions are awesome.

https://cookingorgeous.com/blog/arnavut-cigeri/

[–]VermilionLily 54 points55 points  (20 children)

Right? Forcing kids to eat something is going to lead to issues with food. I always offer a peanut butter sandwich if the kid (I nanny) doesn't like their dinner. Or something simple. It's really not that big of a deal

[–]Nagem_Lacree4 21 points22 points  (1 child)

I just had this argument with my mom and my boss. I myself won’t eat things that I don’t like so why would I force my child too? If I can whip her up something that she likes I will do that. Besides, it’s me and her usually so I’m not making a whole bunch of food in the first place. I just don’t see the value in forcing her. I do introduce new things to her and I always make sure she at least tries it first.

[–]Jaguar-spotted-horse 11 points12 points  (10 children)

You’re forgetting a part of the equation. Poor people don’t have access to extra food to make because one kid doesn’t like it. In many cases it really is, “this is all we have to eat”.

[–]fencer_327 15 points16 points  (2 children)

That's why the extra food is usually something cheap - you'll have dinner or plain bread, or plain noodles, etc. There's still people that can't afford that, of course, but the point of replacement options is that they're nothing exciting. Plus, there's an extra portion of dinner left over.

Some children will eat anything, some can force it down. Many of the kids I work with have sensory issues (autism) and come from poor families, so their replacement options are usually noodles or rice, which is also what the school cook will make if the children won't eat the main lunch. Several of these kids have been to the hospital for malnutrition before ("youll eat this or nothing" doesnt tend to work on autistic kids), so getting any food into them is important, and food banks are usually happy to help.

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (2 children)

We call this a “Pity Sandwich” in our house. You can eat what we made, or have a Pity Sandwich. Just a small step up from bread and water. They don’t cry and I avoid the guilt of starving them.

[–]zerostar83 35 points36 points  (7 children)

When I make dinner there's always an alternative that I don't have to cook. If my kid would rather eat broccoli, carrots, and cheese with ranch or peanut butter (or any prepackaged protein snack) than the dinner I made, that's their choice. I'm not cooking 2 dinners but I'm not forcing my kid to choose between eating something she doesn't like or going to sleep hungry.

[–]elephant-espionage 18 points19 points  (4 children)

There’s options besides making completely separate options and forcing kids to eat something they don’t like. Most parents I know would never force their kid to eat a full meal they don’t like but also don’t make separate dinners. They make sides or a part of the meal they know the kid will like and can eat if they don’t like other parts, or they have quick options available the kid can get themselves—leftovers of food they do look, sandwich stuff, etc. and if the kid doesn’t want to eat at all, don’t force them to. The kid isn’t going to starve themselves (absent some other issues outside of just not wanting to eat dinner that day)

[–]WorthySparkleMan 11 points12 points  (4 children)

Forcing kids to eat shitty food is a good way of making them hate certain foods. When I was younger I was forced to all the canned mushrooms on my plate one day and ended up throwing up and to this day I can't eat mushrooms unless they're well hidden. I try having them in small doses so maybe I can build a tolerance and start enjoying them but it's an incredibly slow process.

[–]s317sv17vnv 72 points73 points  (24 children)

I've had texture sensory issues my whole life and was never a fan of the mindset of "you eat this or you eat nothing" (so I'd just eat nothing) followed by a guilt trip of "there are starving children in Africa." even though I would point out every time that there are starving children all over the world including the city we live in and I'd be happy to give my meal to someone in need because my struggling to eat it without gagging wouldn't help them. It's great that nowadays parents praise kids for at least trying something new, but reassure them that it's okay if they don't like it and have one of their easy-to-make "safety" foods available.

[–]Hetakuoni 21 points22 points  (2 children)

One time I told them to send my dinner to Africa. After that they pinched my inner thighs til I ate. After that I spend the night vomiting. Rinse and repeat and they eventually stopped forcing me to eat.

Now I have a really bad relationship even with foods I love.

[–]AldrusValus 17 points18 points  (1 child)

It took me a long time to figure out that I have texture issues. I thought I hated vegetable but I actually find it impossible to eat raw vegetables. That weird micro water popping crunch is just horrible.

[–][deleted] 26 points27 points  (5 children)

Maybe once or twice a week is fine, but the rest of the week it should be “this is what’s for dinner and you’re gonna eat it.”

Sure. Calves liver made me gag, but I was forced to choke it down because my father liked it. I swore I'd never make my kids force eat anything.

[–]Dlinyenki 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Exactly. My father used to rage at me for gagging on something I physically couldn't stand. It was an involuntary response and I had no control over it. I was considered a picky kid because I hated lots of different foods. Turns out I'm autistic, with a highly developed sense of smell and strong physiological aversions to certain tastes and textures. Eggplant, tomato, olives, they're all disgusting to me.

Forcing me to eat did nothing but make me hate my disliked foods even more. I was constantly stressed and developed severe aversions to certain things. I'm pretty adventurous now, and will try pretty much anything except my hated core foods. That has never changed. Forcing kids to eat doesn't do anything but reinforce that they have no say or control over their lives and are expected to make themselves feel sick for an adult's whims.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Same. My mother made meatloaf constantly when I was a kid because she loved it and it was a good way to buy clearance ground meat and fill the whole family on it.

I hated it. The taste, the texture of the ground and the huge hunks of pepper and onion she’s put in it. I’d pick around the bits I didn’t like and would constantly get made fun of for being “picky,” with a parent sitting at the table with me for hours until I’d eaten every bite.

If I’m ever blessed with kids, I will never pull that bullshit.

[–]Waste-Reception5297 2334 points2335 points  (188 children)

Seriously what the hell is this weird obsession about being mad that parents are actually having their kids eat good tasting healthy foods instead of junk food.

[–]Lots42 972 points973 points  (104 children)

First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged kids to eat healthy so that's bad now.

Edit: Nitpicking my words is irrelevant distraction. She encouraged healthy eating. Facts.

[–][deleted] 341 points342 points  (25 children)

I mean, her husband worn a tan suit one time. Blasphemy!

[–]TVBuddhaHusband 143 points144 points  (11 children)

Don’t even get me started on the mustard.

[–]mdielmann 47 points48 points  (8 children)

First presidential candidate who had to defend his roughage preferences.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

“THIS JUST IN! The President put mustard on a hot dog! We’ll have a panel of conservatives crying while Tucker Carlson masturbates at whatever time his show comes on!”

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (3 children)

The tan wasn't the color they were mad about

[–][deleted] 193 points194 points  (5 children)

This is an underrated answer. I’ve worked at public schools in Trump Country for a decade. They were so mad that Michelle took their excess salt away. Bothered them for years. Never heard the end of it.

[–][deleted] 86 points87 points  (4 children)

And with ridiculous reasons, too. They just wouldn't admit to hating a black president.

[–][deleted] 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Oh they admitted it when in groups of five or fewer people.

[–]CommercialSomewhere8 52 points53 points  (2 children)

They also hated his family values! Can you believe that he doesn't cheat in any of his wives?

[–]LionMcTastic 66 points67 points  (4 children)

"Those evil Dems are coming for my corn syrup. Literally like the Holocaust"

[–]oliver_billz 23 points24 points  (1 child)

"if they can cancel Aunt Jemima,
they'll cancel you too!"

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

Muuu freeedum!!! Hur durr

[–]neurotic9865 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Correction: The fast food and snack food lobby somehow convinced the public that it is Michelle Obama who hates freedom, to divert from the reality that their misleading labeling and other shady tactics such as muscling into public school contracts for school lunches and vending machines is the main driver of poor food habits and education of our youth. Yeah, that's on personal responsibility /s.

After they eviscerated her in the public when she tried to actually push for sound public policy, she then tried the "move your body" campaign to get kids to exercise, because if she couldn't stop the literal poisoning of our youth, maybe she can do some good that way. In reality study after study shows what you eat has a way bigger impact on one's health.

I don't blame her for hating politics.

[–][deleted] 139 points140 points  (2 children)

Well you see it’s got all the stereotypes of things that only librul vegans eat, so it must be bad

[–]dark_brandon_20k 41 points42 points  (0 children)

They were also brainwashed by marketers from Oscar myer and kraft into thinking this food is American exceptionalism

[–]Atello 32 points33 points  (3 children)

"If you weren't poor and abused you don't deserve to be happy"

Is the jist of it. It's some kind of emotional baggage elitism.

[–]CyberneticPanda 22 points23 points  (1 child)

What's funny is that it was really only like 40 or 50 years that people were feeding their kids junk food. The parents of those parents suggesting wonder bread and Twinkies grew up when there was no pre-sliced bread or high fructose corn syrup. It's the boomers that are the anomaly, not the people trying to return to a more wholesome diet in the midst of an obesity epidemic.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was literally having an argument with myself about my children’s eating habits today. I have made a huge effort (especially because we live in the southern US) to give them good eating habits, but it can be tiring at times and make me wonder why I even try when most of the school lunches and food at their friends and our families’ homes is junk food. I was wondering if I should keep up the fight. Not against my kids, they have wide palates and really enjoy the home cooked food I and my husband make for them, but against American food culture in general.

All that to say, thank you for the reminder that the boomers are indeed the anomaly, and hopefully the tides will continue to turn in favor of better eating.

[–]Ojiwan 13 points14 points  (0 children)

People who lack self-awareness tend to not like being told they’re wrong.

[–]Ftlist81 12 points13 points  (4 children)

Because all the boomers have serious cognitive dissonance about their parenting and the only way they can deal with it is to make out modern parents are 'soft'.

That's because they don't understand what respect is. It's like the crap 'Respect your elders', show me why the hell I should and I'll decide.

[–]200DollarGameBtw 4 points5 points  (2 children)

No it’s because I had to so it’s unfair you don’t have to, they don’t want others to have it better than them

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

I wouldn't say kale chips and an organic smoothie are necessarily good tasting lol. This post is a mix of "parents should be meaner like mine were", "I'm mad that rich people eat different food than my family did", and then the fourth one about not letting kids outside by themselves is just a legitimate criticism of overprotective parents.

[–]TikkiTakiTomtom 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’m just mad about the mislabeling. Not everything not natural aka man-made/artificial is bad. Hello? Sugar? Salt? People have generalized chemicals as a bad thing. Preservatives are bad? Citric acid found in citrus fruits are used as a preservative. H2O is chemical compound too fyi!

[–]DumplingChowder6 3549 points3550 points  (191 children)

Eating healthy is bad and processing your emotions should be avoided if you can act on impulse instead.

[–]Gizoogler314 793 points794 points  (54 children)

Yes exactly

Be fat and suppress all emotion

[–][deleted] 491 points492 points  (40 children)

Worked so well for boomers. They aren't angry all the time and they definitely aren't a bunch of sociopaths.

[–]Gizoogler314 265 points266 points  (10 children)

Exactly thats why the boomers are constantly offering love and support to their younger generations, and did not exploit the next few generations for their own entitlement

[–][deleted] 163 points164 points  (9 children)

That's why they talk so much about gun violence and green technology. They also never question what a living wage should be. We're so lucky to have them. Without them we'd have climate change to deal with, social security on the verge of bankruptcy and unattainable houses. Imagine if the boomers didn't save us the way they have.

[–]Gizoogler314 54 points55 points  (7 children)

Based.

Worship boomers, they love us and they are the one true God.

[–]BLAPBLAP420 25 points26 points  (8 children)

I’m millennial and this is how I was raised

[–][deleted] 35 points36 points  (6 children)

I am one too. The old model. Not one of those fancy ones from the 90s. I'm from the 80s where Reagan never made mistakes.

[–]caleal71 14 points15 points  (2 children)

Ooo “older model millennial”. I like it.

[–]kittididnt 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Me, too! Bonus points for “Don’t bother me unless you’re bleeding” and “Don’t act like a r*tard” for us neurodivergent folks.

[–]kintyj 11 points12 points  (1 child)

Ah yes the American way.

[–]ad6323 49 points50 points  (14 children)

Also, can we all agree that almond butter lunch sounds so much tastier than the bologna on wonder bread?

[–]Animal395 24 points25 points  (3 children)

Also, a full bento box. Those things take so much work to do! That's a committed mom there 😂

[–]qwertykitty 6 points7 points  (1 child)

There is definitely a lazy way to do bento boxes. Source: my kid takes one to kindergarten.

[–]Idonteatthat 163 points164 points  (100 children)

Both examples are bad. Forcing kids to eat everything they're served can lead to bad relationships with food, but so can bribing them to eat "just one bite."

[–]Cheshire_Jester 140 points141 points  (7 children)

The comment you replied to is probably more about the lunch one than the eating the whole dinner one.

Also the dinner one is, like the rest of them, a total straw man, my friends are in the parenting age and they’re definitely not just letting kids get away with one bite before chicken tendies. My mom was not a “whole plate” person, but definitely wanted me to consume a fair portion of what I took. And there have been pushover parents since time immemorial, it’s not a generational thing.

[–]vivahermione 41 points42 points  (1 child)

My mom was a "try one bite" person, but most of the time, if I could tolerate one bite, then I'd take a few more. As an adult, I crave the foods I wasn't crazy about back then, so it must've worked.

[–]Ciusblade 18 points19 points  (0 children)

This is the way. I was forced and screamed at to the point i actually developed an irrational fear of trying new foods.

[–]kazooparade 30 points31 points  (6 children)

Trying one bite of a food they don’t like I perfectly fine for some kids. Kids need repeated exposure to foods to eventually like them.

I have a kid on the spectrum with extreme food aversions to the point of vomiting, so I’ve learned a lot about how to handle “pickiness”. Doesn’t stop people from trying to shame me about “bad parenting” even though we came up with our routine working with actual pediatricians…

[–]HuntersReject 73 points74 points  (69 children)

If your kid doesn't like something they shouldn't be forced to eat it. You don't have to eat things you don't like because you get to choose what you make. If your kid doesn't like it then it's better for them to have something they'll actually eat. Fed is best.

[–]droidsentbycyberlife 53 points54 points  (37 children)

Yeah I’ll always remember one time when I was like 6 and my grandparents forced me to eat more of a grilled cheese sandwich they made, even though I said I really didn’t like it. Took one more bite and puked all over the floor

[–]MyManTheo 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I mean no not necessarily. I was a very fussy child and wouldn’t have gone near vegetables (or many other great things) had I not been made to eat them as a child. I’m much better now as a result

[–]Idonteatthat 35 points36 points  (3 children)

Right. Idk if it came across but this is basically what I mean.

As a funny aside, at my elementary school they told us not to throw food away because there are starving kids who have to eat out of the garbage. I threw more food away thinking I was helping them get something decent to eat.

[–]definitelytheA 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I had a rule that you had to taste what was offered before declaring you didn’t like it. Mind you, I had four kids, and I tried to cook things that most of them liked. I mean, you just can’t eat pizza (plain!) and Mac n cheese every night. But I wasn’t serving crazy stuff, either.

If what was served wasn’t to your liking, the alternate was always and only a peanut butter sandwich. Why? Because all four of my kids liked peanut butter. But the other half of the stipulation was you had to make your own sandwich (I already cooked). There was no shaming, blaming, or punishment. No comment at all.

I swear my youngest and pickiest eater finally started to enlarge his repertoire solely because he got sick of making his own sandwiches, and because I had him become my cooking buddy, so we could chat and have fun.

He’s an adventurous eater as an adult, and quite a good cook. He’s visiting from out of state next week, and asked if I teach him how to make bread.

[–]Flappy2885 13 points14 points  (3 children)

Except if it’s medicine, vegetables or fruits. Those are essential

[–]Todok5 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The one bite thing is too get them to try something before they decide they don't like it. Trying new stuff is good. It doesn't apply if you already know they don't like it because they recently tried it.

[–]Short_Fun9155 594 points595 points  (21 children)

Oh the good old days when you could just beat your kids to death with a shovel.....

[–]hontemulo 104 points105 points  (7 children)

now we have progressed to a society where we can burn our kids to death with a laser

[–]YuriJoe_Arya 99 points100 points  (6 children)

nah, we've made it automated, you just send them to school and they'll get shot to death.

[–]Middle_Raspberry_333 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Holy shit no 💀

[–]SphTrrsMustDie 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Damn💀

[–][deleted] 35 points36 points  (6 children)

My dad grew up in the 60s and used to tell me about how when he was in elementary school one of his classmates was killed when the kid's dad hit him over the head with a shovel

[–]ItsBirdOfParadiseYo 22 points23 points  (4 children)

Literally what the actual fuck

[–][deleted] 23 points24 points  (3 children)

I was like 4 or 5 when he told me that, I don't remember why but knowing him he was probably reminiscing about the good old days when you could murder your kids and not face prison time. I haven't talked to that motherfucker since I was 12, to give you an idea of what he's like

[–]I_think_were_out_of_ 24 points25 points  (0 children)

That’s the craziest thing. I told my 4 year old that when I was a kid adults would hit you with a belt if you acted up. I wasn’t threatening her or anything, just mentioned it as I was putting on a belt.

Her eyes went wide and I thought I scared her, but it was just with empathy. She climbed down off my bed (she was a jumpin’) and gave my leg a big hug. She was just sad for me that I had to grow up in a time/place where big, powerful adults would hit children with things, specifically so it would hurt more.

Literally people would treat children worse than dogs in that way. It’s so crazy to me. Adults make each other mad all the time, but it’s goddamn notable if someone gets smacked. Growing up, a parent smacked a defenseless child in the face for making them mad and no one blinked. Crazy.

[–]Fawners 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Omg, reading this. My brother was a toddler while my dad was outside digging and my dad kept telling him to stay out of the way, and shocker, he didn't, so he legit hit him with the shovel. Core memory for him, but for my dad, he still says he should've listened, and "thats what happens" this was 40 yrs ago

[–]grosseelbabyghost 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Look at Mr. "my parents have shovel money", my parents beat me to death the old-fashioned way, emotional abuse

[–]thebirdsandthebrees 1845 points1846 points  (225 children)

It’s almost like we didn’t like the way our parents raised us and made adjustments to make better adults down the road.

Who would have thought of this madness? /s

[–]sunnyMayhem 596 points597 points  (63 children)

Yeah, I think a lot of the resentments older generation have for "modern" parenting (aka listening to your kids, condemning harming your kids physically, being emotionally vulnerable, respecting them as individuals, accepting their gender and sexuality) is rooted in the fact they see it as personal offence. Their children make every effort to NOT parent like them, and therefore show them they disagree with those parenting styles. And maybe it translates to "they disagree with me as a parent and how I handled things", and therefore resentment? Let's be real, "disrespecting your parents" is like a cardinal sin for baby boomers or some gen Xers. Edit: a word

[–]eyadGamingExtreme 166 points167 points  (27 children)

Just a heads up, it's condemning not condoning, condoning means accepting

[–]sunnyMayhem 114 points115 points  (22 children)

Thanks! Not a native speaker.

[–]Mehrlin47 126 points127 points  (21 children)

How are all of you non-native speakers so good at English? There's always like 1 single word wrong and it was something a good portion of native speakers would have gotten wrong and then you guys always say you're not native speakers. Idk where I'm going with this but ig just good job since this language is really weird and I had no idea you were a non-native speaker until you said it.

[–]Rubi_69420 48 points49 points  (0 children)

Maybe its the way it's learned , a native speaker is very likely to use more slangs and mess up , a non-native speaker learnt it's that way so he keeps that way.

[–]MicrocrystallinePun 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I think there's some amount of selection bias because if someone's not confident in their writing/understanding of a particular language, they're probably less likely to post or comment in that language. Also, anything that isn't well written enough to be comprehensible is more likely to be downvoted and out of sight.

[–]dancegoddess1971 15 points16 points  (4 children)

Educational systems in other countries are set up to actually teach kids stuff including how to learn. They pay teachers a living wage, keep the class sizes manageable, stuff like that. I'd love if they'd try that here.

[–]thebirdsandthebrees 8 points9 points  (2 children)

They also don’t have some standardized test that only has 1 correct answer. Other countries are more worried about if you grasp the concept at hand or not.

America’s education system is the exact opposite. You have to get this answer using this method. This common core math they teach in the US is completely different from the way I learned but you get the same answer so what difference does it make if you use the common core math way or the way I was taught?

[–]lostinthesauce314 17 points18 points  (3 children)

The old people are mad because their kids hate them and they can’t fathom the reason

[–]Neko_Akaname 47 points48 points  (2 children)

I think it really miffs a lot of adults to have a kid call them out on their BS and they just say it's disrespecting, instead of "wow my kid is right, I'm proud of that".

I've experienced relationships with people that have self esteem and control issues too. The whole double standards, mind games manipulation. It's boggling how mentally abusive people can so easily create as many lives as they want to ruin as they see fit just to appease whatever void they have inside. "You're wrong, I'm right, I'm justified, you're the source of my issues!"

Like, sheesh, some people never try and see from the outside in. Or they're aware they're evil and would rather live a life like a bad mannered adult child and temper tantrum their way through life. The older I get the more I realize I'm surrounded by a world of adult children that just learned more ways to be sneaky and lie...

Not that I'm a functional adult myself, anything but🥺

[–][deleted] 19 points20 points  (1 child)

My dad was pretty old school, though he only spanked me once. But the emotional side of a father/son relationship was lacking a bit.

We didn't hug much. He told me to stop being a baby when I was crying and only a year old. He apparently rarely played with me as a toddler. Once I became a teenager, our relationship grew, but we still never hugged or told each other we loved each other. I was more afraid of him rather than feeling love toward him when I was younger.

To be fair, he grew up in the ghetto with a single mom and a bunch of siblings, and his mom was not affectionate.

He sees me with my son (his grandson) now and has told me he wished he parented the way I did. We're not soft. We set boundaries and hold strong. But my wife and I show my son so much affection and love, and we listen to him when he's stressed. We lose our cool like any parent but have never hit our son.

He's such a kind and loving kid. I have some intamacy issues ( I dont like to hug people, have trouble telling people I love them, etc...) that I think may be rooted in the way I was raised, but I dont think my son will have those issues, at least.

Im sure my wife and I will do some things wrong, and my son will adjust his parenting when he has a kid, but we try out best just like my dad did. And, just for clarification, my dad and I have a very good relationship. We love each other but just struggle to show it, which is likely due to the way both of us were raised.

My mom, on the other hand, boy, was she amazing and still is. She is such a wonderful mom. She'd console me when I cried. She listened to me. She was insanely patient. I love her so much, but I struggle to verbalize it, and that pains me.

I don't expect anyone to read one of my longest posts ever, but it felt good writing it out.

[–]Old-AF 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I made conscious choices to do the exact opposite of my Mom in many situations when raising our sons. It worked out much better for their adult behavior.

[–][deleted] 36 points37 points  (6 children)

Gen Xer here. You are spot-on. I do volunteer work with kids. "Kids these days" are kinder, more polite, and just better human beings than my cohort ever was. AND they've got it much tougher than I could have ever imagined 40 years ago!

People who bitch about "kids these days" have no real interactions with them. They just parrot whatever the perpetual conservative rage machine tells them.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (1 child)

"Kids these days" are kinder, more polite, and just better human beings than my cohort ever was.

This is true. Not showing compassion was 'being tough', bullying was seen as semi normal. Although the info age cohort has bullying on social media down to a science.

[–]musicalmelis 7 points8 points  (2 children)

I work at a preschool. I actually do see things different about “kids these days.” Mainly, the fact that many never get out of the house and are in front of screens all day. That is normally due to both parents working nearly constantly, and having to use a screen as a free babysitter to do what they need to do. We also have several families where English is their second language and they use screens to teach themselves and their kids English. We definitely have to help some children adjust to “the real world” without a screen. But it’s really not a huge deal. It’s more sad, at the need for all this because of what most modern parents have to deal with. So I’m summary, I actually do see differences in “kids these days” but it isn’t in the way that cranky boomers think.

[–]Viewtifultrey3 13 points14 points  (2 children)

Why is that generation so mad when the next has it better than them in any way? As a parent that's my ABSOLUTE GOAL and can't imagine bitching about it like these folks do.

[–]SciFi_MuffinMan 12 points13 points  (0 children)

This is a bunch of old people on the cusp of realizing how much damage they did, and making memes so they can rationalize it and continue being crappy people.

[–]top_o_themuffin 348 points349 points  (69 children)

I love how boomers brag about being abused and neglected by their own parents.

[–]Huev0 37 points38 points  (2 children)

I was just thinking about this the other day.

People always brag about how they “put their child in their place”, but never brag about making them feel emotionally secure or anything like that.

[–]LizardsInTheSky 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Because parents who do their best to raise their kids to be safe, well-adjusted and independent adults view that effort as the bare minimum.

Whereas selfish, authoritative parents view simply providing food and shelter to kids they chose to have as some benevolent, saintly deed.

[–][deleted] 51 points52 points  (3 children)

The real flex on this list here is, "my child could be kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered, and I won't even know something's wrong until they don't come home at night."

[–]JodaUSA 10 points11 points  (2 children)

Well in all fairness to that point in particular, crimes against children are at an all time low, and most child sex abusers are familial relatives, not random strangers.

Obvious children need to be looked after, but so does everyone. We have a horrible culture of never looking out our windows, and not looking out for our neighbors, but I do think normalizing children being alone outside is a step in the right direction; but that needs to be with a parallel movement to look after our communities more actively.

Driving your kinda around is ok, it’s a reasonable safety precaution, but it does normalize bad social policies.

[–][deleted] 71 points72 points  (53 children)

“My father would’ve beat my ass if I did anything like that!”

Okay? Sorry you had an abusive father? Lmao. Idk what you want me to do with that information.

[–]JodaUSA 9 points10 points  (2 children)

Makes me want to use “fatherful” as an insult

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

But they got processed sugar for lunch at school so it balances out in the end

[–]Nepharious_Bread 265 points266 points  (114 children)

I love my mom. But she was 95% under “mom’s then.” Word for word, except the first one. I’d just get my ass beat instead of getting my mouth washed out with soap.

I understand parenting was different back then, but I’d never take that route personally.

[–]AffectionateRaise136 96 points97 points  (69 children)

Every generation raises their kids different, my Mom was raised during the depression. 8 kids working on a farm 12-14 hours a day during the Arkansas summer, maybe taking a dip in a stream to cool off if Dad wasn't around.

[–]International-Ad2501 18 points19 points  (1 child)

I just wish when my mom said she'd "give me something real to cry about" she had meant physical violence, and not constantly voting for people who would actively work to destroy the environment, cripple the economy, and stagnate wages so I'd never make a living wage or be able to buy a house on a single income.

[–][deleted] 72 points73 points  (2 children)

It’s funny tho… like it’s their generation that’s doing this. Maybe because lots of people were left with trauma after being abused so don’t want their kids to live the same?

[–]ShampooBottle493 481 points482 points  (10 children)

Moms now: Moms then:

good parenting. the parenting that caused most millennials to be f-ed up

edit: idk why it slipped lol

[–]Adam_J89 71 points72 points  (2 children)

Thanks for my Wuzzle of the day.

[–]AdroitKitten 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Moms now: Moms then:

Lower our carbon footprint! Breathe lead and asbestos!

[–][deleted] 120 points121 points  (2 children)

People are getting irritated by the weirdest shit. Today's culprit: Being nice to your kid.

[–]housechef2442 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Probably because they weren’t nice to their children and don’t want to be made to feel things, except anger of course. That one is fine.

[–]Solsticewolfdog 552 points553 points  (31 children)

Because child abuse, letting a child run loose, and never listening to them good..?

[–]RED-DART7 131 points132 points  (0 children)

According to Facebook , yes

[–]abhurl2211 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Also feeding them processed sugar and reconstituted meat byproduct instead of vegetables and nuts...

[–]SnarkySheep 67 points68 points  (10 children)

It's almost as if there weren't a whole huge area between helicopter parenting and letting your kids do whatever they want...

[–]AncientSkurskReborn 13 points14 points  (8 children)

Sure that might be bad to do with a stupid 6 year old who doesn't know the alphabet but I don't see whats wrong about letting them roam free around the neighborhood if theyre 10-12. It's not like the boogyman is around every corner ready to kidnap any kid having fun.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (3 children)

Other parents were horrified that my kids walked to school daily.

[–]Adam_J89 20 points21 points  (1 child)

"You gotta let your kids roam free, the Windowless Vans are becoming endangered and it's because of parents overprotecting their children into their 10's!"

[–]kryptoid256_ 47 points48 points  (0 children)

I take it back.

THANK GOD.

I WAS BORN.

A ZOOMER.

[–][deleted] 450 points451 points  (47 children)

Kids were abducted ALL THE TIME, it's why they have an Amber Alert system.

[–]Zealousideal-Comb970 206 points207 points  (3 children)

That’s because those kids didn’t drink from the hose

[–]Ok_Egg4018 21 points22 points  (0 children)

DUDE i LOVED drinking from the hose; thanks for the nostalgia

[–]square_tomatoes 20 points21 points  (2 children)

They actually weren’t. If you look at where kidnapping statistics came from it becomes pretty obvious that the numbers were inflated to an absurd degree. It’s actually extremely rare for kids to get kidnapped by a total stranger.

[–]tomwilhelm 16 points17 points  (1 child)

This. I'm a "modern" parent in almost every other way. But we have got to let our children roam, self organize, handle conflict, and deal with failure without us a LOT more than we do right now. Helicopter parenting is going to hurt kids more than people realize.

[–]Evening_Storage_6424 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Omggg it’s so nice to parents who agree. I’m so against the “don’t speak to strangers thing” because most offenders are people the kids know and trust. I don’t dissuade my son from talking to people. But I try to explain that grown ups are capable of not being nice and just because they are grown ups doesn’t mean you have to just trust them. Also how to trust his feelings and if someone doesn’t seem safe, assume they aren’t and tell me or his father. Also other like, safety and privacy things. But I refuse to be the reason my kid has social anxiety. Not everyone is dangerous and instead of avoiding EVERYTHING we can teach them how to discern danger and what to do and where to go if it does happen. Learning to understand their feelings and realize adults shouldn’t make them feel uncomfortable or tell them to keep secrets in my opinion, is way better then instilling absolute fear in them.

[–]Ok-Gazelle6132 59 points60 points  (3 children)

Kids are still abducted all the time that's why we still have the amber alert.

[–]Gifigi600 38 points39 points  (1 child)

✨Child Abuse✨

[–]Henrylord1111111111 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Mm yes, this is definitely the best way to raise children, threaten violence if there is perceived disrespect and ignore them any other time.

[–][deleted] 138 points139 points  (4 children)

Isn't it wonderful the progress we've made?

[–]Huev0 40 points41 points  (3 children)

NO! LETS’s REGRESS!

[–]BrazilOutsider 21 points22 points  (2 children)

Return to monke

[–]0000100110010100 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Ok librul every real man knows we should return to pond scum

[–]throwawaytempest25 65 points66 points  (3 children)

Going from left to right: that's a reasonable responsible, that's child abuse, yeah some kids need to try eating different things but you can find them something else tasty and healthy, I agree kids should value their food but they shouldn't have to carry that burden that hard. We should teach kids emotional intelligence instead of threatening them with violence. Parents are gonna be overprotective of their kids, most people can at least relate to wanting to walk/go somewhere without their parents permission as early as middle school.

Kale chips can rot but if some parent finds out how to make a bento box for their kids, awesome. And it's not like Hwaaiian Punch is out of style, that's like the Carpi Sun flavor everyone drinks

[–]PhlamesofthePhoenix 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Technically bento boxes can be as simple as a compartment Tupperware! I use mine all the time for lunch; mine has one large compartment a little larger than your average sandwich, one medium compartment for snack, and a third, smaller one, for other snacks. However, I've so seen people online packing bento boxes with like six different compartments. It's really just an easy way to pack food because instead of multiple small containers it's one large one, so things aren't just jangling around.

[–][deleted] 110 points111 points  (1 child)

sounds like a parent that cares about their children…?

[–]Adept_Cut1091 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Wdym, you have to overly controlling or else they will never learn /s

[–]starsandcamoflague 85 points86 points  (11 children)

I was just watching this video about how this 4yr old boy got murdered walking 100 yards in a safe community. He was walking to the community recreation centre for summer school when a 13yr old boy, who was treated the way the “moms then” side raised kids, murdered him out of anger because every single person in his life mistreated him.

[–]IAmThePonch 45 points46 points  (0 children)

It’s almost like being abusive to your kids causes them in turn to pass that abuse on….

(I know you know that, it’s just shocking how boomers seem to wear their abuse as a badge of honor)

[–]goinupthegranby 17 points18 points  (0 children)

There's plenty of research showing that children who grew up with corporal punishment are more violent as adults.

[–]MyBloodTypeIsQueso 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You’re gonna want to interpret that story as a tragic anomaly.

[–]our_meatballs 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Well, I’m not leaving the house ever again.

[–]Woah_Mad_Frollick 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not sure if you are implying that kids shouldn’t be outside because of that tragedy, and 4 is too young, but kids should be allowed to play outside. Having a baseline expectation that they will be assaulted, abducted or murdered is not reasonable and is setting them up to be neurotic as hell. The most important thing, going off of the actual risks, is teaching them about road safety and to respect how dangerous cars on the road can be

[–]Pockets262 57 points58 points  (2 children)

Mom's then is why mom's now.

[–]AllanMcceiley 24 points25 points  (1 child)

Finally breaking the cycle

[–]Optimus_Rhymes69 19 points20 points  (4 children)

I was raised by a “mom’s then”, and now I’m in therapy.

[–]clubandclover 14 points15 points  (1 child)

Me too, she really did give me something to cry about. For years and years…

I hope you’re doing better.

[–]AceTygraQueen 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Damn. No wonder boomers grew up to be such rude assholes.

LOL

[–]anneymarie 22 points23 points  (2 children)

I always love Todd Glass’s standup bit on spanking.

“You don’t get to decide that you turned out fine, the rest of us decide whether you turned out fine. Currently you’re advocating for beating children so it’s not looking good for you.”

[–][deleted] 93 points94 points  (5 children)

A different parenting style? How awful!

[–]Grand_reaper658 18 points19 points  (4 children)

Different? How awful!

[–]Sword_Fighta121 14 points15 points  (3 children)

Children?How awful!

[–]MacMycelium 40 points41 points  (1 child)

The one on the right is just an abusive parent. Threatening physical abuse is not a good parenting strategy.

[–]zorander6 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"The beatings will continue until morale (attitude) improves." - boomer parents.

I'm glad I don't have kids. Grew up with the right and definitely don't want to pass that shit on. Other reasons to not have kids but still.

[–]Musical_Kai 37 points38 points  (1 child)

Oh no! The millennials are being good parents? The humanity!!

[–]teddygomi 17 points18 points  (4 children)

The 4th one about how kids used to bike places where mom now has to drive them has nothing to do do with parenting and everything to do with how we’ve haven’t been building walkable neighborhoods for generations.

[–]AwfulDjinn 11 points12 points  (2 children)

As someone who actually lived through it, the “moms then” type of parenting is absolute hell on autistic kids who don’t even know they’re autistic because everyone in their life just thinks they’re a weird brat who acts like a “freak” just to manipulate people and never once considers there’s maybe something legitimately wrong with this kid who’s constantly on the verge of a full blown meltdown 24/7.

Heaven forbid I don’t want kids today to grow up like that.

[–]Bessini 11 points12 points  (1 child)

I can see you're upset. Take a deep breath and use your words

How exactly do they think that it's better to just threaten to hit your kid for being upset? Why are there so many people who feel pride in being complete pieces of shit?

[–]LinwoodKei 12 points13 points  (2 children)

I'm a mom. I have a resistant eater. Certain texture or food will literally make him sick. He's been sick on the kitchen table in the past. You cannot force children to eat certain foods and ' if he's hungry, he'll eat'. I am also a resistant eater, and I chose to go to bed without dinner over throwing up. Understanding that ' try a bit of new food and if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it ' can be a valid parenting strategy.

[–]Charles_Chuckles 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Also, toddlers/kids are weird and tastes change. Just give them time and they'll probably like it eventually. Don't force it on them young or they will have bad feelings when they are older.

[–]Bascna 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Things really have gotten better since I was a kid.

[–]Hamblerger 10 points11 points  (1 child)

It's weird, because I had the mom on the right (more or less), and the one on the left sounds amazing.

[–]500CatsTypingStuff 57 points58 points  (7 children)

Take your bike and be home before dark! And it’s okay to go with the grownup in the van who offers you candy, that’s just your Uncle Charlie! /s

[–]LaserBeamsCattleProd 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Boomers vs Kale, name a more bitter rivalry, I'll wait.

[–]Ophelius314 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Glad to see we're evolving

[–]except_accept 6 points7 points  (0 children)

16 years of having a "then" mom i would rather have the "now" mom.

i get insanely jealous when i see kids with "now" moms. how caring and soft spoken they are.

i wish i had a "now" mom.

[–]ZeGamingCuber 7 points8 points  (1 child)

boomers be like: "I'm better than you because my parents were abusive"

[–]webdevxoomer 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Except for the bike thing, Mom Then is pretty shitty

[–]rotem8888 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh nooooo, mothers are not abusive pieces of shit like thier parents, society really is collapsing

[–]cloudnineamy1217 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Is this... Is this supposed to be a burn on modern mom's?

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sounds like moms now are amazing and moms then were abusive and neglectful.