As if this was something new…as if the concept of kids being rebellious or misbehaving was something that kids had just come up with…
We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self control.”
— attributed to an inscription in an Ancient Egyptian tomb
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
— a paraphrase of a quote from Aristophanes’ Clouds, a comedic play known for its caricature of Socrates.
We spend the first two years of their lives telling children to stand up and talk, and the rest of their lives hoping they sit down and listen…