It's early in the morning and I have a snow day today. Tired of watching all the hype about the "thunder snow" I was flipping through the tv channels and landed on Mtv and their Sweet 16 show. If you've never watched this show, it's a reality type show about turning 16 and throwing the "dopest party EVER." The birthday girls (there has only been 1 boy) plan this bash and don't even think about how much it is costing. They plan their themes, grand entrances, costume changes, and performers. It really is outrageous. Oh, and I failed to mention that at the end of the party they always get a car. And not just any car -- we're talking tricked out BMW's, Mercedes, Hummers, you name it.
So this episode today was about a girl named "Sky" who wanted her party to be Moulin Rouge. She wanted to see the real one so her mother took her to Paris. Then they went car shopping at the local Mercedes dealer. Sky wanted the car in hot pink -- they don't make a Benz in hot pink so she wasn't happy. Mom ended up giving her a hot pink mustang. I could go on and on about the ridiculousness that I saw.
It got me thinking about the values some children are being raised with. I don't understand the obsession with all of the material stuff. If you could just see some of these homes the birthday girls live in -- they're huge and filled with flat screen tvs, pools, pool tables, cars........... They have this sense of "entitlement" and are spoiled rotten!
What happened to playing kick the can with the neighborhood kids and eating mac 'n cheese? What happened to doing chores and cleaning up after yourself? What happened to basic cable and atari? What happened to walkman's and walking to school?
Maybe I'm getting old...but, seriously, I see all of the stuff that kids have today (including my own nieces and nephew) and I'm amazed. What will their children want? Will they grow up to appreciate all they have?
I was raised to respect myself, respect others, and accept responsibility for my actions. I wonder if kids today are being raised this way. I was raised with love and mom instilled a sense of independence and appreciation in me. We were disciplined when necessary (mom had a stash of wooden spoons) and we learned from our mistakes.
I can only hope that these Sweet 16's will grow up to be productive members of society and lose their sense of entitlement.
