After reading alot of posts and some life experiences myself.
I seem to be finding that more and more people are treating their kids like 'the one' when they're little so they grow up with superiority complexes.

I was one of the intelligent kids through my early years development schooling and I was never reffered to as being a 'little angel' as alot of kids these days are. The best compliment I would get from my Dad is 'Smart Arse' and my Mam would chastise me if I didn't get perfect grades and feign interest if I did.

I don't have any ill feelings about that it's just the kind of people they are, but I used to fume at the kids who would recieve gifts if they remembered to put on their tie in the morning or not hit another child by dinner-time. Their parents didn't seem to realise that they won't view this as "Oh thank you for encouraging me to be good, I have respect for you and others now" but "Oh? I get gifts when I'm not a complete shit 100% of the time, let's just make it most of the time then and kick off when I don't get a present".

I'm not trying to be naive about any of this, I KNOW it's the parent's fault but their children are more devious then they seem to contemplate. I thought that would get better as I continued through education but you find that those little brats that would throw a hissy fit for not getting their own way had only got bigger, not matured.

The worst bit is alot of them are from families who have nothing yet their parents still go without to give them everything they want. With their low incomes the students also get every grant/subsidie/'loan' under the sun and they don't show the slightest bit of thanks or ever think "I know I might lay off my parents now I'm getting all these government funded scehemes" but still go home on the weekends and whinge until they get beer money because they spent all their uni-cash and overdraft on weed.

An absence of money doesn't make a noble man - being smacked around the head while they're being a little shit, does.
(Vikingheadache, Tue 14 Oct 2008, 14:16, 2 replies)

I agree to some extent
although I do understand the need to reward the little shits' occasional good behaviour.

My son was simply brilliant at school - polite, popular, good at everything (except PE and CDT, but he tried, bless him) and always on time with homework.

He didn't need incentives, being an ambitious chap with an eye on the future.
However, when he was still there the school was given some awards by a local university to hand on to worthy kids, and as the head was determined to give Sonny one in recognition of his wonderfulness, he received a 'Most Improved Pupil' one.

I was furious when I found out, too late. A kid who deserved and indeed NEEDED that award should have got it, not Sonny.

There was an awesome buffet though so not all was lost.

Sonny went on to Oxford and is now doing a PhD in California. He still treasures the joke 'Smartarse' trophy he was given in a cod awards ceremony that the school used to put on for leavers - a proper recognition of his achievements.
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Tue 14 Oct 2008, 16:05, closed)

shit
"The best compliment I would get from my Dad is 'Smart Arse' and my Mam would chastise me if I didn't get perfect grades and feign interest if I did."
Are you me?

Seriously.
I remember my dad taking me on a
walk when I was about 9 or 10.
I can't remember why, exactly, but I think he was trying to put me in my place. He started thus:
Dad: "I was your age once..."
Me: "Well of course you were!"
Dad: "You see son, there's a difference between being smart and being a smartarse."
I was 10 for fuck's sake. Added to that the probably quarterly visits to my dad's house... You'd have thought he'd give me a little leeway.

My mum constantly fretted about me doing badly at school. "Have you done your homework?" "That isn't good enough." "I don't care what everyone else got for that assingment..." type thing.
I recall her and my stepfather not letting me buy a pc (out of my own earned money, mark you) until after my GCSE results came out, in case they weren't up to standard. GCSEs are GCSEs of course, but I didn't get less than an A. And they were surprised by this. Still pisses me off.
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Wed 15 Oct 2008, 16:03, closed)