Adolescent Behavior out of Control

I was recently driving through a decent-sized city of 75,000 in Northern Colorado with my 6-year-old grandson. When I came upon the main intersection of downtown. There I witnessed a young blue-haired female, maybe in her early 20’s, with a 4’ x 4” cardboard cutout on the corner with the words “F*@k Ice” on it in big bold lettering. As we drove by, I could see my grandson staring at me out of the corner of my eye, bewildered by what he saw. He’s a smart kid and knows how to read. I immediately called 911 and told the dispatcher what I had seen. The dispatcher informed me an officer was already looking into the matter, but also told me the officer was looking into what 1st amendment rights the Individual had in the incident. As Americans, we understand that 1st amendment rights protect free speech, including profanity. But some public displays can violate local ordinances against obscene public behavior. Restrictions may exist if they are not content-neutral or threaten public order.   Can someone PLEASE explain to me how in the world we have come to this in our society, where it’s OK to allow the younger generations to walk around spewing hate and obscenities about the country they were born in, and will be raised in. Who, what, and why are these kids being taught that love of our country and patriotism must be turned into violence and hate in the name of unsubstantiated fascism? Currently, my main concern is the Generation Z (1997 – 2012) and Generation A (2011 – 2024) kids. Especially, the Gen Alpha, this generation is known for being digital natives, even more so than Gen Z, having been born into a world that is fully integrated with technology, social media, and global connections. Current adolescent behavior (ages 10-19) is characterized by a high prevalence of mental health struggles, with 1 in 7 experiencing a disorder, particularly anxiety and depression, alongside intense social media influence, risk-taking, and a strong drive for peer connection. A recent Pew Research study found 60% of white, liberal women aged 18 – 29 have been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point. This trend has been attributed to several factors, including the tendency to blow things out of proportion, a lower sense of personal control, and higher rates of identifying as LGBTQ+. Let’s not forget these same individuals grow up to be mothers. Where there is a never-ending cycle of future problems in mental health. What the hell are we talking about here? At what point in our lifetime did the culture in our society change? I know, I know. My generation as a baby boomer and an Army Airborne Veteran, has no idea what kids are going through these days. Give me a break! My generation consisted of a beer keg, a field, great music, good friends and occasionally running from the local sheriff’s department. Now we have kids walking out of school classrooms to protest what most of them have no clue about. The majority do not know the rules and laws within our constitution. The anti-ICE protests have led to various forms of violence, property destruction, and blocked traffic at schools across the country. These protests have been organized by students, teachers, and unions. This has caused a clash between institutional trust in public schools on teaching students proper use of exercising their voice in civic engagements. The scary issue is that these high schools across multiple states, which staged walkouts, show their math and English proficiency rates well below state averages.   I should mention that a large majority of kids today do not act or feel this way with mental health. They just want to be left alone and not have adults cramming their radical ideologies down their throats. I cannot stress enough the importance of parenting today. So again, when did we, as parents, stop teaching discipline? In my opinion, it was a gradual change from the beginning of the 21st century.