Why do parents these days have difficulty parenting their children?

I dunno...I grew up in the 90s too, and I remember adults back then saying the same kinds of things that they do now...kids have no manners or respect, there's "no discipline anymore", etc. I also remember being out to eat with my family one time and this man came up to my parents and complimented them on how well-behaved my brother and I were...so obviously he had encountered misbehaving kids before if we stood out that much to him and he felt the need to congratulate my parents (my parents VERY rarely spanked us, by the way). I think that there have always been lazy parents and misbehaved kids, and when you're out and about, of course you tend to notice the ones who are misbehaving more than the ones who aren't. And families with two working parents have definitely been on the rise over the past 25-30 years, which means that some families aren't spending as much time together and the kids might not get as much discipline. But again, that isn't new to today. It started right around the 90s. So the 90s definitely wasn't this time where things were drastically different and families and children were all perfect.

Because they like free range children or children who are complete **** holes.

This is a good questions thats erks me all the time i dont think will ever understand it. People just are so lazy anymore

Yes, you are just getting grumpy. You were an annoying child, but you don't remember it. Threatening physical violence isn't the only way to discipline and many just don't discipline in public.

Now a days parents are too busy, too wrapped up in themselves, to put the energy in to keep their kids in check. It has nothing to do with spanking or the threat, it has to do with what one chooses to focus on. Kids are not at home anymore, mom and dad are both working their butts off and the daycare is watching their kids. The day care can't micro manage, can't use all the teachable moments that a child needs to learn how to behave. Our society is moving to what the left wants, the community, the government, the institution raises the child but no one. Not even the parents are ultimately responsible for how that kid turns out. When everybody has their equal say, no one has the ultimate responsibility. Built in excuses for failure.

Because nowadays spanking is child abuse. I don't really get why because it's teaching the kid what's right and wrong. That's why there's so many kids and teens these days that are so disrespectful.

From what I have experienced, it seems that it is those childless person who complain the most about other children's lack of discipline that turn out to have the most issues with disciplining their children. Perhaps once you have children, you will understand.

Some children have always been like this. There was a wave of permissive parenting in the 1980s, when little Heather was allowed to express herself at expensive restaurants and young Ben's parents worried about how he felt about himself after throwing his toys, and never mind how that impacts others. Those people are most likely the parents of the kids who are annoying you now.

My kids, of course, came out perfect in every way. (Haha.)

Parenting has been on a downward spiral for a long time. It's getting much more obvious lately.

Liberalism.