Why are good kids often disrespectful to their parents?
Question I was watching an old black-and-white movie on television the other night that was made in the late 1930s. What jumped out at me was the respectful way the teenagers related to their parents. These kids, who appeared to be 17 or 18 years old, were downright deferential and looked to their father to make final decisions regarding their own behavior. I know this was just fiction, but I got the impression that that’s the way families functioned back then. Today, even “good kids” from strong families are often more independent and disrespectful to their parents. If I’m right about this change, why has it occurred and how do you see it? Answer The movie you saw is characteristic of others made during that era, because children in most nations of the world responded that way to their parents. There were exceptions, of course. Rebellion has occurred throughout history — even in biblical times. Remember that King David’s son Amnon raped his half sister Tamar and Absalom tried to overt
