Leah\’s blog

Leah Isaacson                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Eng. Comp. 1106                                                                                                                                                                                                        Essay 2 revised                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Mannerisms of American Youth                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Does anyone remember when children would say yes ma’am and yes sir? That time is gone and things have changed. Attitudes started changing around the seventies with demonstrations, freedom of speech and drugs. With attitudes changing in behavior on the outside world, so were the behaviors in the homes of families. Children started swearing, back talking, yelling and some even hitting their parents. Children don’t respect their elders like their parents did when they were growing up. They wouldn’t think to talk back, yell or even hit their parents. The fear of getting in trouble was all a child needed to behave.                                                                                                            Before all these changes in children’s attitudes changed they were expected to respect all their elders. They addressed them as ma’am and sir. Schools also played a big role in instilling respect in children. They have to follow rules, use manners and listen. If a child would have gotten in trouble they would have gotten whacked with a ruler or a whipping with a strap. When I was younger and I got in trouble I had to wait in my room for a whipping with a belt, which didn’t happen often. Now parents can’t spank their children without someone wanting to turn them in for abuse.                                                                                                                                                                Now things are so much different. Violence in schools is at an all time high now. Some children are scared to go to school because of all the violence. Teachers are limited to what they can say or do to punish children now. They can give detention, suspend them, send them to the principles office or send a note home. This leaves the teachers almost powerless and the students in charge. Children watch others like them shooting at their classmates and teachers. The media glamorizes the events with pictures of the destruction, people crying and stories about the suspect. This makes other children want to be on the news and to be known so they copy the last shooting they saw on TV. They won’t get in as much trouble as an adult because their underage and they also have heard stories on the news about other shootings. There isn’t a fear of getting into trouble, there is a thrill.                                                                                                                Adults should take a firmer stand in children’s mannerisms. If a child has respect for others and good manners then they will get the respect of their elders in return. If everyone had the beliefs and discipline as our parents did the world would be better off. Everyone should remember that without our elders we wouldn’t be here, so give them the respect they deserve.