Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with parental

What's wrong with the kids these days?

jujube — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:42:07 -0800

What's wrong with the kids these days. . .or is it just me? It seems that I'm encountering more and more kids these days who just seem so extremely coddled. I'm wondering if it's the whole "helicopter parent" thing I'm seeing here where children seem to be never without some sort of adult supervision, or it's just that I'm currently living in a different part of the country from where I grew up, and the norms and expectations are just different. For example, when I was in high school, it was the expected norm that kids would either drive or take the public transportation to the nearest "big city" on their own. High school kids also went on overnight camping trips on their own without adults. As juniors or seniors in high school, they also went to visit colleges on their own, driving or taking Amtrak/Grayhound/plane/whatnot on their own to do so, without parents tagging along or making the travel plans for them.

Now, it seems quite common to encounter high school and college students who've never gone to a city on their own, taken a train or plane on their own, traveled to an unfamiliar place on their their own, etc. Part of me thinks that it's just a generational difference, and that parents today seem much more protective (hovering) than they used to be. But I'm also currently living in a part of the US that is much much more insular and parochial than where I grew up, so I'm wondering if that is also a part of the difference as well.

So, the question is, what is the norm for the level of independence expected of high school/college age kids where you live? And is it different from when you were growing up?

Help me with satellite provider parental controls.

drstein — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:16:19 -0800

Help me figure out which satellite provider has the best parental controls, specifically restrictions on time of day. We're moving to a new place at the beginning of June and the only viable choice for TV is Dish Network or DirecTV. The girlfriend has a 12 year old boy who is generally good.

We don't mind him having a TV in his room since we know we can use the V-Chip and block certain channels, but what we'd really like to do is set up restrictions on the time of day that the TV can be viewed. He's an ADHD kid and if you have a squawking box powered on at 3am, he'll zone out in front of it and won't sleep.

I'd like to know if any of you have experience with the time of day restrictions on the Dish Network or DirecTV hardware.

* Yes, I have searched both websites but cannot find anything beyond basic information. I'm interested in personal experiences.
* Please, no "Why does he need a TV?/Take the TV away!/etc" types of answers. I see nothing wrong with kids watching cartoons on a Saturday morning, but watching Cartoon Network at 3am on a school night is another story.

What questions should a child ask their parent before the parent dies?

cmonkey — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:05:47 -0800

What questions should a child ask their parent before the parent dies? My mom's body is shutting down, and it doesn't really sound like she'll be around much longer. I'm going to visit next month (she lives rather far away), and that might be the last time I see her. We were never very close, so I don't even know what her feelings about resuscitation are, or cremation vs. burial or any of that, and I assume that as her son, I'll at least need to agree with her brother's decisions about hospice stays and funeral arrangements, if not make them myself. I have no idea if she has a will or anything like that, either.

So what should the eldest son of an unmarried woman ask to make her death easier to deal with, and to make sure that her desires for the end of her life are met?