How is parenting today different than it was before about 15-50 years ago?

I am asking this because I noticed a lot of parents these days not willing to accept their child's downfalls or should I say mistakes. I also think some parents have way too much pride in their kids and they are not willing to accept the possibly their kids can be different. This is coming from a 20 year old , so please do not criticize seniors if you answer thisHow is parenting today different than it was before about 15-50 years ago?
I think 15-20 years ago parents acted like parents. They were the authoritative figure, the one who said 'no', the one who a kid went to when they couldn't get the answer from someone their own age.





It feels like today parents are trying to be 'friends'. They're trying to be cool and hip and 'with the crowd' or whatever. They're not standing up for their position in their family and always feel the need to dot on their offspring.





Personally, it disgusts me. How is parenting today different than it was before about 15-50 years ago?
I don't want to contradict you, but my grandparents never touched a hair on their two daughter's heads. This was back in the 40's and 50's. My mother was out of control, mouthy, and extremely immature but my grandparents were gentle, always giving the benefit of the doubt, kind people. My mother could have used some serious discipline but my grandparents always made excuses, so, some things have always been.





I used to play outside and mom never knew where we were but I am nervous of my kids playing in my own driveway.





My mom beat me in a mall on a Saturday morning because I was giving her a hard time and no one batted an eye. People could get away with that kind of thing easier back then.





Kids are growing up today really isolated because family sizes have shrunk. They play too much isolated (with video games, etc) and often don't have siblings to fight with, play with, have memories with.





You would think we would be much more educated about how to raise good solid kids these days because of the media and all the reference material out there, but just listen to yahoo enough, and you will hear from so many kids that are neglected and abused today. At least these days, there are outlets like yahoo that didn't exist 20 years ago where kids can be anonymous and get good feedback.
I totally agree with Nina, way too many books out there telling you what to do. People just blindly follow them without using common sense. 30 years ago, separation parenting was the thing, then became criticized and now attachment parenting is the new thing. It will all change again, like it has so many times before. My biggest pet peeve is the lack of discipline, all this ';let's talk to our 2 year old to find out why she threw her apple across the floor';, and people using the excuse ';oh they're just a child and don't know any better'; to justify their children's bad behaviour and their lack of desire to do anything about it. All this talk about preserving their self esteem will do the opposite, and these children will grow up with no respect for authority, will not learn that they can't always get what they want and will have a sense of self entitlement that will not blend well with the real world.
Parenting is different today because there's no discipline. Kids are allowed to be complete terrors in public and their bad parents won't do anything about it except say stuff like ';Honey, please don't do that.'; All parents through the ages have pride in their kids and have never been able to accept that their kids can be different. There is no discipline these days and everyone expects society as a whole to raise their kids for them.
Well I am 30 now so 15-20 yrs ago was my time frame of growing up. I think that now days people don't accept actions for their children's behavior. They make excuses for them that it's society and that you can no longer punish your child or hardly even raise your voice and some calls child abuse.I feel they let their children walk all over them and the line that should be defined on whether you are the parent or child is smeared! Instead of sitting down and spending time with thier children they are caught up in a fast pace world and kids are often left for child care to take care of or a someone else.





I think 15-20 yrs ago parents were free to be parents with out society stepping in. My parents spent time with my sister and I, we got a belt when we stepped out of line. When my father gave me that certain look and even to this day I felt 2 inches tall. You had respect for your parents. and there was the line between parent child and whther it was your business or the neighbors!
One thing that has really changed is discipline. Twenty years ago, if you were bad at the neighbors house, they would discipline you, then send you home and by the time you got home, they had called, And you were in trouble at home all over again. Same thing at school. If you got in trouble at school, you get the paddle, then when you got home you got it again. In today's world, if kids get in trouble at school, the parents give the teacher hell. We don't effectively discipline our children. I personally do believe in spanking...depending on the situation. With my child, I do use time out, or standing in the corner, but he has been spanked for serious infractions. And I don't beat him. There is a difference between spanking and beating! I also think that a lot of parents don't teach their kids how to handle or control their emotions. There are so many kids at our high school that seem to have anger management problems. That is something a parent must do. We don't learn self control by osmosis. Today's parents are very concerned with a child's self esteem, and I'm sure that is important, but I think they will have plenty of self esteem if they are polite and well-mannered and welcomed with open arms every where they go. Children need to learn responsibility and accountability, and we, as parents need to teach it. And I think that happened in the past a lot more than it does today!
Yes it has changed, children today are ego bubble wrapped everyone makes the teams in sports there are no cuts don't want to bruise self-esteem, spanks are child abuse, seems like 90% of kids are formula fed, playing outside is unheard of, video games, obese kids are just large boned. its not the kids being bubble wrapped its the parents way of justifying their way of parenting as being ok.
you know one thing that has changed that I hate. You can't really just let your kids play in the yard without watching like our parents did. Me and my brothers and sisters would rhome the neighborhood all the time and now it seems like people think I'm crazy for letting my 3 yr old play in our locked backyard by himself..
i totall agree with the first answerer. Parent are being way too freindly and overprotective and naive about their kids . i personnally still believe in old fashion manners so that is the way i raise my kids . And i dont care what people might think . .
I think today parenting is way over analyzed and there are too many authors of books telling you how to do it right.
When I look at the spanking attitude and the laws in the US, I'd say: Obviously not too much!!
Well, I'm 24. So, as a young child (ages 3-10), I was raised in the late 80's and early 90's. I'm also a teacher now. So, I see a lot of different parenting styles.





One major issue is that parents are super protective of their children. I think it's important to be an attentive parent and to safeguard your child. But, kids fall. They bump their knees, arms or legs. I had a child fall one day during recess. He had a little cut on his knee. I didn't see the need to send him to the nurse. So, I gave him a wipe to clean it off and a band-aid. I keep that stuff stocked in my classroom. He was fine and it fixed the problem right up. But, his mother had a fit about it. She was upset I didn't have him sent to the nurse and had him properly checked out. She was WAY overprotective. She's rather have him miss our math lesson (which is right after recess), to have a minor cut checked out by the nurse.





I also think parents are more unwilling to admit their children are wrong or capable of not doing something. Parents are more pushy now and they want their children to be the best. It doesn't matter what the cost. They push at sports, at school and even in social situations. I'm all for wanting children to do their very, very best. But, not at the expense of making them feel too much pressure at a very young age.





I think parents are just more paranoid now, then in the past. I grew up with a mother who can be described as a consentant worry-wort. She was always on my case. HOWEVER, it was only about important issues. She knew when to stop stressing about the small stuff. She knew what typical kids acted like and taught us to try our very, very best. Even if we failed, she was happy with that fact we gave it our all. I think I turned out well. I'm a teacher. My brother is trying to get into law school. We were expect to do our best work at everything. But, never pressures to be ';the best';, ';the most intelligent'; or the ';prettiest.'; We never had to fit a label, we just had to be us.





Basically, I think parents now (and society) need to let children be children. Kids are growing up and acting like mini-adults WAY before their time. We need to stop sweating the small stuff. Just let kids be kids. Encourage and support them, but don't pressure them into your adult dreams or expectations.





I also agree with other posters. There is a lack of punishment and discipline now. I was spanked as a child, never abused. I think it made me a better person. People are so nervous about how society is going to treat them if they spank their child. In addition, there is this horrible myth that if you spank your child, you are unintelligent. I want to meet the person that first said that. How is trying to control your child, ';unintelligent';? I will never know.