'Weak' parents are raising a generation of 'prince boofhead' boys
Weak parenting of boys is creating a generation of entitled brats who think they are owed the world and can lash out in violence when they do not get their way, adolescent psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg has said.
Mr Carr-Gregg has worked with families for three decades and said he was seeing an unmistakable increase in disrespectful and contemptuous boys who had a false belief they were flawless.
He said it stemmed from boys being raised to see the world, "as one giant, personalised, all-singing, all-dancing, 24/7 catering service exclusively for them".
"I do lay [responsibility] at the feet of parents," he told News Breakfast.
"I know that's not a popular thing to do and people will call me a parent-basher.
"But parents are actually becoming, in my view, weaker than ever before."
Mr Carr-Gregg has dubbed this "prince boofhead" syndrome, and has examined the issue in a new book co-authored with researcher Elly Robinson.
They conclude that the "child-centred parenting movement" that sprung up in response to the more authoritarian parenting practices of past generations had gone too far.
"There's so much pressure on the parents, driven by guilt, by God knows what, to actually accede to the requests of these kids," Mr Carr-Gregg said.
"Basic things like bed times. Kids need nine hours' sleep. They're not getting it.
"Every single research study shows they're in bed with their technology.
'Mums are copping the worst of it'
Among the worst manifestations of the "prince boofhead" boys are the ones who turn their aggression towards women in general, and their mums in particular.
"While boys are not as verbal or vitriolic as their sisters, they are physically stronger and can be terrifying in their anger, especially when it is directed towards their mothers, as it so often is," Mr Carr-Gregg writes.
"Somewhere along the line, these boys have been taught that it's OK, not just to talk to their mothers this way, but it's OK to talk to women this way, because they're somehow inferior and unimportant."
He said many psychologists agreed that kids take their most significant cues from the parent of the same sex.
"So for boys, their template on how to be a man, how to relate to women, is learned through watching their father," he said.
"So if the father is absent psychologically or perpetrates these behaviours, then we shouldn't really be surprised that we're seeing this syndrome."
He said it was still a small proportion of boys who fit the "prince boofhead" category, and that many of these learned behaviours could be addressed by more discipline and boundaries in their earlier years.
"Make absolutely sure right from the start that they do help around the house, that they do speak in a courteous manner, not just to their fathers but also to their mothers and all adults," he said.
Source
While I agree with much of this article, it isn't just the boys. The girls are equally bratty, and if people think girls can't act out in violence when they don't get their way, well sorry, but you've been living under a mushroom. There are countless videos of girls engaging in school brawls (while everybody stood around in a circle and watched, filming, rather than interceding or trying to prevent it).
Now, contrary to somebody's belief on this forum, I had great parents.
They taught me to help around the house (as the article says) and speak in a courteous manner. Of course, as I've grown up, I only speak or treat somebody in a courteous manner if they do the same to me. The moment one raises their tone and speaks to me like shit, or is condescending, you can kiss respect goodbye. I think this is pretty natural for everybody. They taught me to eat fruit and vegetables even if at the time they tasted like shit.
I am thankful they taught me these, as I've been to some people's houses and witnessed an absolute pigsty from people within my generation, and even generations before! Shit everywhere, dishes growing mold cause they haven't been washed, and inhabitants just sitting around doing nothing.
I wasn't a model child. If I acted like a brat and broke out in violence, disrespecting my parents, they would put me in my place. They didn't hit me, but they treated me with well-deserved contempt.
They also taught me the importance of work and jobs. Dad was (and still is) a labourer, a real working class man. They stressed how important it was to give it your best, show up at least 10 minutes early, and leave your personal baggage at home (and work baggage at the door).
Fast-forward to today, I'm 29 years old and my record is squeaky clean. No, I'm not an arsonist, despite alleged "poor parenting".
