I came across this little ‘toon, and saw it fitting for today’s growing up generation:

Speed Bump, reprinted without any permission whatsoever (as usual)

I mean, the new generation (children of today, well below age 10) seems to be able to whine and pout to get their way. I’ve seen too many examples of fresh mothers and fathers being too focused on keeping their children happy all the time, and being their “best buddies” without setting proper focus on boundaries. A child’s moral boundaries are set while growing up – it’s not something that comes automagically. I fear this dessert generation is also bound to be quite ego-centric as they grow up, considering — as part of the parent’s desire to be “best buddies” — they get everything they want; toys, books, DVDs, music, gadgets, you name it. Sometimes even without asking for it (a trait my mother noticed particularily when she visited one of my cousins for her children’s birthdays a few weeks before Xmas).

My mother works with children (in school, usually with ages around 6-10), and so does my sister (in kindergarten, usually with ages up to 4-5), and both notice these traits in some of the children. My mother in particular was the one who pointed out the thing about “best buddies”, and I do get to hear stories like these at the dinner table when she sums up her day at work.

Fair enough, most kids of today grow up in “normal” environments, but to me it seems the ego-sentric  portion of the child population is growing. I even see small tendencies of this in my youngest sister (who’s actually turning 12 this Monday), but I sincerely hope she’ll grow out of it in the next few years.