I don't mean this to sound flip, but the answer is pretty clear to me: Parents need to start raising their kids right. Right, as in having a sense of morality; to know the difference between right and wrong and choosing to do the right thing. Right, in terms of taking responsibility for your own actions and not blaming others for your bad behavior when you do something wrong....... (etc.)[/I][/B]
I cannot agree more Swampy. Well said.
The UK is very much like the US with regard to bringing up children. However, there is a lot more 'interference' nowadays so while parents are to blame in many cases, some are not.
We have something which people call 'Political Correctness' (PC) - read it as Social Fascism. It means what it says. The upshot is that you are not allowed to smack children when they're naughty at home. You are not allowed to punish children at school when they're naughty, etc., etc., I'm sure you get my drift. In short, any respect for authority (think elders, parents, teachers, and so on) has been eroded by so-called do-gooders or the 'PC Brigade' (control freaks basically) as we call them. Children
do know when they do wrong and
do expect to be punished if caught (we were all kids once so we should all remember). However, that punishment must be within reason and if done properly then children will not revolt as they would if the punishment was over the top or too little. If adults aren't allowed to dish out appropriate punishment they will lose respect in the eyes of the kids and consequently some kids will take advantage of it. This is the fulcrum for eroding moral values in the UK at least. Children not only need moral guidance, they
demand it. Sadly the 'social fascists' are depriving them of that right.
Outside sources such as really dodgy TV, internet, and other media forms that are readily available don't help. The people involved in these use the lazy (and disrespectful) excuse that it's the parents job to decide what is suitable for their kids. However, society is so saturated with immoral crap that parents need eyes and ears everywhere to shield them from it. With parents having less and less time to spend with their kids (both have to work to pay the bills nowadays) parenting has never been so difficult.
Parenting is the most important job anyone can do but as no-one gets paid for it it seems governments don't put any value on it. That attitude needs to change.