[Jack_]

'Parenting is just completely appalling now'

I'm sorry but what a ridiculously exaggerated and baseless sweeping statement. So because the kids you've experienced through work have been poorly behaved, that's representative of all the other kids and their respective parents in the world?

Every parent has different techniques, the parents that 'don't care' are few and far between, despite what the media would like to portray. The title of this thread is the kind of topic of discussion I'd expect by a right-wing columnist in a tabloid. Parents have different techniques, and every child has different needs and qualities and will react to such techniques in various different ways. It's about finding the right technique to match the right child. If you ask me these 'punishments' that are supposed to just control every child's behaviour are fundamentally flawed because every child will react in different ways and will learn 'acceptable' behaviour via different methods.

But in short the answer to your question is no. Kids will be kids, they always have been and they always will be - kids misbehave, it's about learning the difference between right and wrong and the only way this can be taught to any said child is through methods which that particular child will learn from, as I've alluded to. This same question was more than likely asked 20 years ago, and it'll be asked in another 20 years.