Barbara J. Hamby

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Bratsville

This morning I read an article on AOL speculating over whether kids today are the worst brats in history. Food for thought. When eating in restaurants, I’ve often cringed at pierce, shrieking voices from little mouths. In food and other stores, I have to dodge kids who are running amuck. When I was caring for my mother and she was elderly and fragile, I had to be on constant lookout for some kid who might knock her down.

However, I’m not sure it’s worse than it has been in the past. I think the difference is that those children who behaved that way were not out in public before. I grew up in the 1930’s and we didn’t eat out unless we were on the road somewhere. We rarely went to stores, shopping was done by phone or catalog order and, rarely, by my parents who left at least the eldest of us at home. I know if we were out in public, we’d better behave, “or else.” And “or else” was pretty frightening.

Of course, there may have been brats misbehaving in public then, but obviously I didn’t have the opportunity to observe them.

The article I read included many comments with differing opinions. I do think it is a shame when parents defend their kids who misbehave outrageously. I wonder if road rage begins breeding among them. (Parents and/or kids).

Psychologists might argue that the climate of our times--rush, rush, everywhere and huge crowds and heavy traffic makes us, like crowded rats, misbehave.

I think if we want this planet to continue, we will have to apply some discipline and self-restraint at all levels and ages. Maybe we should start here and now?