“We blamed them first on the pandemic, but now my colleagues and I are beginning to think it’s a cultural shift in parenting.”

I'm an LA-based trending news writer covering style, politics, and internet culture.

"One former student almost got kicked out of college because his parents kept calling the school and professors (at home) to argue about grades and dorm assignments ad nauseum."

"1. The ability to cope with negative emotions, particularly disappointment, rejection (not getting their way), impatience, and boredomAs a parent, I totally get redirection as a tactic to avoid meltdowns. However, teachers are extremely limited in how much they can redirect, and then our littles don't know what to do with their emotions when we put our foot down. 

2. Lack of resilience when faced with difficultyThis is evident in the number of 'I don't know' responses I get without any effort to answer a question and the number of meltdowns I have for not getting something right the first time.

3. ViolenceA 5-year-old does not know how to put someone in a headlock or pin someone against a wall by the collar unless they have seen it done. We see unprecedented amounts of violence and are shocked by some of the clearly media-inspired movements made by 5- and 6-year-olds. And no, I have no pity for you getting hurt at recess because you were playing Fortnite or Call of Duty after we discussed no pretend fighting."

"So they sabotage their child's healthy development by making sure they don't experience disappointment or unhappiness whenever possible. This backfires when the inevitable happens, and something doesn't go their child's way."

Similarly, "I'm a former 4th and 5th-grade teacher and now a school counselor (11 years in). Parents blame the teacher for their child's bad grades/behavior instead of holding them accountable. It makes a huge difference when parents are on the same page as teachers. A lot of parents are also in denial when their child shows a possible need to be evaluated for learning disabilities. When they finally agree to have their child evaluated, it is a little late, and their child is extremely behind academically."

Similarly, "Parents do everything for their kids, from tying their shoes to getting them snacks to cleaning up after them, and more. Kids need to learn (and I have found that they want to learn) how to be more self-sufficient."

"They miss scheduled meetings or interviews without considering they have taken someone's time. They have little understanding that their actions affect others, and they don't care if others are put out as long as they get what they want. Yet, they will not go out of their way to help others at all."

"They continue even when we teach the families and students about portion sizes and how to calculate the amount of sugar in juices, teas, and sugars."

"It's demoralizing to us, completely undermines our relationship with the kid, and puts all the control in the hands of the child, not the teacher or the parent. Kids' brains haven't developed enough to make those choices and decisions; that's why we have school. Teachers are here to help kids learn from mistakes, and parents refuse to acknowledge that kids are making them."

"It's the source of so many issues that kids bring to school and stirs up so much drama. Some parents monitor, but most do not, and they are unaware of what their children are posting. It's scary. I just wish parents would limit screen time and monitor their children's social media accounts more or, better yet, not allow them to have one at all. Especially at 11 or 12 years old."

"High school teacher, teaching 18 years. People complain about kids texting their parents, but I want the parents to respect their kids' learning time and stop texting them throughout the school day. Mom, news of your promotion can be celebrated when the kids get home!!!"

"First grade (soon to be ex) teacher: this will probably be really common, but gentle parenting and allowing everything to be a negotiation. Sometimes you have to do sh*t you don't want to do because it's for the good of society and helps your community. I'm not saying kids shouldn't be validated, and their voices aren't important, but sometimes we just have to go! I have a curriculum to follow and learning targets to hit. Social and emotional learning is so important, and seeing your community's needs before your wants is an undervalued skill."

"If the kids are taking a test and one is constantly talking and disrupting, the whole 'I am the teacher of this room, and you will complete this test in an appropriate fashion' no longer works. What works is 'I'll let you eat lunch with me if you can be super, duper quiet for 15 minutes. How does that sound?' It doesn't sound all that bad, but when you have an entire classroom full of this entitled behavior, where a student both expects and demands compromise to gratify them, it leads to a lot of stress."

"When they get to school, we want students to say no as a boundary to their peers, not only in an emergency. They need to be able to respond to a no from a student or teacher without it being an emergency. Practicing with normal language at home is the only way for them to learn that skill. 'No' isn't a bad thing!"

"It's disgusting and sad, especially for the small number of kids who DO have manners. And it's a complete reflection of parenting. Kids are sponges; they mimic exactly what they see, hear, and feel from the people they live with. Parents need to do better for the future of their children."

"Speechless. This is the very definition of rewarding bad behavior. If you really want to show your child that you love them, teach them to be people who can function in the world. There is no better gift you can give."

"It's ok to allow your child to have a tantrum. Bribing your child during toddlerhood will negatively affect self-regulation and social development, as they will expect everyone to give in to them all the time."

"Everyone needs time to relax, and the pressure of having so many extracurricular activities is overwhelming and crippling to a lot of kids. As adults, we forget how hard it is to be a kid because we constantly draw a comparison between childhood and adulthood, but the two things aren't at all related."

"There's a lack of accountability from both students AND their parents. Students are consistently unprepared for class, and I frequently have to use internet monitoring software to ensure they stay on the assignment and not just ignore the work and play games. Parents frequently don't respond to emails, pick up or return calls, or follow up with behavior issues at home; if I give a student a detention, the parent says no because they don't want to pick their kid up."

"The number of emails and phone calls I get from parents asking their child to be excused from turning in work is astounding. When I respond that they may not be excused, the parent often just allows the child to miss school entirely. This approach undermines the importance of responsibility and accountability in education."

Similarly, "One trend I've noticed is parents trying to opt their child out of field trips because the child doesn't want to go. We are lucky to live in an area where we can take students on many field trips into nature, museums, pools, parks, and more. In recent years, I've had several parents who either stop sending their children to school on any scheduled field trip day or ask their child to hang out in another classroom while we are on the trips. When asked why, they say their kid just doesn't want to go... I disagree with this parenting trend. Having a child go on a field trip even if the student doesn't like going, or is scared, or thinks it will be boring, is a powerful way to show them that good things can happen when you take a risk."

"Homeschooling, co-op farm life (whatever you want to call it) has become a fantasy on social media, yet parents don't stop to think about how much work and dedication it actually takes. Your child's education is not an 'aesthetic.'"

"We teachers have little support from these parents when their children do nothing but disrupt class and make it impossible to do our jobs. Teachers are quitting or retiring at alarming rates, and I can't wait to join them. I used to love my job, but apathetic parents who don't believe in discipline have ruined it."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.