Comments on: Generation X as Parents: Wildly Overprotective

By: Mardi

Mardi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:44:07 +0000

Oh absolutely! I homeschool too and am an Gen X parent.

By: dsohigian

dsohigian — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:58:08 +0000

@Lalo – Thanks for the comment. Your approach is very Generation X: take matters into your own hands because the establishment is bound to fail you. And I agree that the world our kids are headed into won't be a picnic (at least for the next 10-15 years). The challenge is that the message we give our kids often gives the opposite results. It is likely that our generation's kids (mostly Millennials and Homelanders) will be very different than us, particularly in their feelings towards institutions and group-think. We are individualists and would hope to instill that in our children, but the world they will encounter once they leave our care will REQUIRE group action and trust in institutions, much like the GI Generation encountered leading up to WWII.

By: Lalo

Lalo — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:45:24 +0000

I am a genX. I homeschool. I believe in only myself – an independent – to be responsible for my child's education. I expect my child to grow up working HARD, playing hard & taking risks. I expect her to have to fight for her place in the world. I don't coddle her like silly boomers who boosted the "self esteem" of genY. Self esteem is false. Being able to stand on your own & tackle any challenge the world throws your way doesn't leave any time for contemplating "self esteem." My child's busy. I allow boredom & time to explore & play. What I find is that my compatriots are spending more time with their kids & rejecting traditional schooling and parenting ideas for their own, which to some may seem "controlling." This may seem so superficially. Iam wary of & reject the establishment. Not just for rejections sake, but because I don't want anyone else telling me what to do or how to live my life. I don't need some authority telling me how to school my child. Our family unit is the priority. Most genXers seem to have a deep concern for the world their kids are headed into & entertain no illusions that it will be a picnic.

By: phil

phil — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:17:16 +0000

Let's be honest. These kids are robots. Mind numbed. Not too bright. You know as well as the rest of us, that they were raised to follow the crowd. Look at me!! I'm different!!! I just happen to look and talk like everyone else in my generation.

By: dsohigian

dsohigian — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:24:07 +0000

@Stevie - I agree Homelanders may not be the right name, but I sure hope that Indigo doesn't stick (I am not a fan of the ideas about Indigo Child). And yes, many Gen X parents homeschool or send their kids to private schools (Waldorf school in our case).

The friends children (extended family) is a concept I can buy into, but often the Gen X circle of close friends is very small.

By: Stevie

Stevie — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:53:59 +0000

Got a little lost in this post and in the discussion. I'd venture to say that the attitude extends to friends children. As in treating them like one's own children.

As for schools. They suck so bad, why bother sending them. The Xers i know homeschool. The follow the "bosses" rules is interesting idea too, because the boss is Mum & Dad. So they won't be following the teacher or the boss. They will still be guided by their parents? Maybe?

I didn't read the source article from MSN. But it seems like it contained a bunch of malarkey anyway.

And what happened to the Indigo Children. The homelanders… that is a stupid name. I might have to stop with the generational interest.. Can we sign a petition or something?

By: Generation X: My Kid Rocks. Yours? LOSER! | The Gen X Files

Generation X: My Kid Rocks. Yours? LOSER! | The Gen X Files — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:01:18 +0000

[...] Digg Verizon seems to have a thing for generational themes in their ads. Jessie X pointed it out in her post about a kid in a recent Verizon ad, and now a friend pointed this one out to me: Kinda sums up the attitude of Generation X as parents. [...]

By: dsohigian

dsohigian — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:49:22 +0000

Being a teacher right now is probably tougher than any time since the 1930's. Although Gen X'ers were lots of trouble for teachers when we were kids, we are proving to be even more problematic as parents. The policies of \”No Child Left Behind\”, put in place by Boomers and Silents add to the difficulty (and perhaps some of the problems with \”inclusion\” that you mention). Education is, and always has been, the key to the American future and, like the rest of our society, it is in crisis right now.

By: susan*5

susan*5 — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:39:40 +0000

I didn't go into much detail in my post on education problems because I didn't want to take up too much space; however, I feel compelled to point out that certain policies, such as extreme inclusion, are bad for everyone not just "my kid" (however, I was addressing an example of a time when I took on an institution for my kid); I have had over 10 teachers privately tell me that they cannot possibly teach effectively while they are required to have a special needs or behaviour problem child in their class – that means that ALL the kids in the class will not be learning; I strongly feel that special needs or behaviour disordered kids are much better served by a separate school with highly trained staff – I worked at a school where there was a neighbouring school that had served special needs kids or those with behavioral problems – because of budget cuts, they were being moved into the regular high school – many of these students were quite vocal that they did NOT want to be integrated – that they preferred there separate facilities; inclusion lets the government off the hook for paying for highly trained special ed teachers and specialized equipment – they throw the special needs kids into a general school and hope for the best – I know that in my school there was no extra money for equipment/supplies or even books geared to their level – so they were not getting the education and stimulation that they required either.
Finally, these moves are often made to save the government money – the same reason why so many mental patients (I used to work beside a major mental hospital too) are released to their own "freedom" which often means they end up homeless or the victims of crimes. I knew a family friend who had been highly trained as a special ed teacher – and they were well paid too – but now the government isn't required to have these teachers. – they didn't lose their job, but I am concerned that these highly skilled individuals are being replaced by high school graduates with first aid and non-violent crisis intervention certificates.
I know of many great teachers who are ditching the profession altogether because they don't want to have to deal with these circumstances – some of the kids being "included" are huge 22 year olds with normal intelligence who have been in and out of prison on violent offences – that means again that ALL students lose as these talented teachers are no longer available. I don't think that are schools should become merely "warehouses" that contain young people .
I knew that someone would object to my criticizing inclusion – anyone who criticizes this policy is branded as someone who doesn't care about people with mental/physical disabilities – but I am saying it anyway, because it needs to be said because it simply isn't working. I notice no one took me up on my criticism of "whole language" which has led to a generation that can't spell. I could also go on and on about how schools waste time having kids watch feature films, and how every assignment has the choice of being done as a "colourful poster" , how kids are bored because they aren't being challenged enough, but this post is long enough already.

By: dsohigian

dsohigian — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:36:07 +0000

@Alex – I agree that the level of fear in parenting is ridiculous. I am the parent of two young children (ages 8 and 12) and I am constantly amazed at the actions of some of my fellow parents when it comes to child safety. But at the same time many parents are strict disciplinarians with their kids. So it is a strange combination. I think that the effects of this parenting style will show up in the next generation (born after 2003) because they will have primarily Generation X parents.