Kids Gone Wild

There was a piece in the 27 November NY Times called "Kids Gone Wild", subtitled "Parents are more involved than ever before. So why do children today seem so rude?" It struck a chord since I have noticed our oldest son, who is 11, sometimes behaves rudely. Not always, but more than I would like. Is it my fault?

According to the article, "Most parents would like their children to be polite, considerate, and well behaved. But they're too tired, worn down by work and personally needy to take up the task of teaching them proper behavior at home. People don't necessarily feel great about their spouse or their job but the kids are the bright spot in the day. They don't want to muck up that one moment by getting yelled at. They don't want to hurt. They don't want to feel bad. They want to get satisfaction from their kids. They're so precious to us - maybe more than any other generation previously. What gets thrown out the window is limits. It's a lot easier to pick their towel off the floor than to get them away from the PlayStation to do it".

Amazing! It's exactly my problem! I can't believe I fit the bill perfectly. I'm glad I know what the problem is.

So now what do I do? The article doesn't give any answers.