That’s what is missing from this generation of kids

@MethDozer Yeah, but a lot of that "explosion" was fueled by the War On Drugs and Three Strikes Laws for minimal if not questionable law infractions. At the same time, the stats for violent crimes were plunging until recently.

@dancingtongue Yep. It clearly has nothing at all to do with OP's assessement.

The fact is it has little to nothing to do with changes in parental discipline and the OP ignores the fact that children are exponentially more closely monitored today than even in my generation. We live in yhe days of excessive structured play and helicopter parenting, while even 30 years ago it was " get the fuck outside or in the basement and make your own entertainment. Come back when it's time to do homework". Kids have a mountain more of supervision these days compaired to days recent past.

@MethDozer Some do. I agree that the concepts of scheduling "play dates" and helicoptering parents so traumatized by their paranoias are largely overkill. Those kids are not being prepared for the real world. But there are at least as many running amok with the parents wanting to play buddy buddy rather than providing any discipline at all either imho.

It reminds me of when my youngest graduated from Jr. High in the mid-80's. He was a big train buff then -- both model and real (still is) -- so a graduation present I said he could accompany me on a business trip to Cleveland and then we would take the Zephyr back home from Chicago. I told my counterpart who was hosting the meeting to not do anything special, that my son could entertain himself while we were in the meetings. She, a suburban parent, was horrified that I would leave my son on his own in a downtown Cleveland hotel. I kept trying to tell her don't worry about it, he lives in downtown Oakland and has street smarts. She insisted her son come in from their suburban home and chaperone him for the day. The kid shows up in camouflage dress and a copy of Survival Magazine in his backpack. At the end of the day I get back to my hotel room to find a note from my son saying "I finally shook the kid. Have gone down to the submarine to check it out." This is a kid who at dinner one night said "I found out how far down East 14th I feel safe in taking my bike today." I asked, "How far was that" He told me and his answer was spot on with my assessment. He wasn't going to take stupid risks. But he also knew how to treat others civilly and with respect, which you see less and less of -- by adults as well as kids.