The Unrest of Today is Linked to the Social Experiments of the Past
Beginning at around the age of 12 or 13, peer group begins to take over from the parents as the major influencer in the lives of children. It is a period of experimentation and testing of rules. It is natural and the same type of behavior can be found in herd animals such as elk and buffalo where the adolescents, especially males, leave the herd and gather together on their own. When I was a high school band director, I understood that this was a natural tendency and became very good at recruiting 6th graders to join my band! I also understood that it is super important to have rules. Kids are going to experiment, and it is better to have clear-cut and unambiguous rules with clearly spelled out and consistently delivered consequences. The kids are going to test the rules and the teacher or the parent had better be prepared to follow through with consequences. Otherwise, all hell will break loose! What we are seeing today is a consequence of the Great Society experiment of the '60s...