Are American parents too lenient with their kids these days? That’s what many experts are debating lately, and they aren’t just talking about those moms and dads who fail to discipline their tots when they go running amok in the supermarkets — it’s a whole host of other faults researchers are finding with modern parents, and their effects on the kids and the future of the entire country could be devastating. One reason is that students in other countries, especially in countries considered to be “in competition” with the U.S. in terms of education, are given greater responsibilities at younger ages than are American kids. They are held to higher standards, are coddled less, and their parents do not automatically defend all of their actions when contested by other adults in positions of authority. In American culture, parents are much more likely to be hostile towards police, teachers, doctors, and any other professionals who have anything less than perfect to say about their little angels, and it’s turning our kids into underachieving narcisists, according to some.
