Another consequence of teaching children to stand up for themselves is their greater aggressiveness, says Turner. Along with this is a growing reluctance among adults to attempt to correct negative behavior in others' children. According to the Public Agenda report, only 33 percent of Americans feel very comfortable telling a neighbor her child had gotten into mischief. One of the biggest structural changes in this generation is the growth in single-parent households and families in which both parents work outside the home. Children are more often left to navigate much of life on their own, says Badagliacco.
Many families rush through homework and dinner, and then it's time for bed.
Another economic reality is the hopelessness faced by children in the inner cities, she says. They don't have any hope for surviving well, and we don't give them the opportunities. Every generation has thought the next generation had problems, and today the adults see the children as disrespectful, lazy and living by different values. Generation X is portrayed as having no real values, causes or beliefs. It's called the Me Generation because they are considered selfish, without a social consciousness.