Quoting:
I have a 17 year old son and I tell him frequently you could not have survived the 80's...he has and always be a spoiled brat.  At the age of 2 he had a tv, vcr, stereo and every game system made.  I never had those things growing up...I can remember getting our first blow dryer at the age of 13 and I think it cost around $60.00.  Now a days you can get them for $12.00.  
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When I was 12, my grandmother gave me her old 16" color TV.  This was in 1977, and I was the only kid I knew of with his own TV.  But in those pre-cable days, we only had 4 TV stations anyways.  I still spent most of my time with the rest of my family, watching shows together.

This current generation has had more changes then any other.  I was also unusual, in that I had my own computer in 1981.  But we had no internet, the only thing we had were a few BBS systems, which we could connect to at 300 bps.  A far cry from today.  Most systems I sell now have more power then a corporate IBM mainframe of 20+ years ago.

Are kids spoiled?  Hell yes.  They can get anything they want from the internet, from music and movies to games and sex.  Things none of us had access to when we were growing up.  I remember dumping rolls of quarters into Pac-Man and Asteroids.  Kids nowadays spend hours in front of their Playstation, never going outside and getting everything spoon fed to them.

I think this is why our kids are fatter then ever before.  We used to bicycle everywhere when I was a kid.  Now, they just plop in front of the TV for 200+ channels of garbage, or to play video games all day long.  They do not even have to go to an arcade anymore, the best games are all available at home.

Plus they are so cheap, they can easily afford them.  The first VCR my parents bought cost them over $600.  My first computer was $700.  A Magnavox home video game (that played Pong only) was over $500.  I am one of them that encourages parents to go out and do things with your kids.

Take a weekend and go camping.  No TV or DVD player, no portable Playstation, just a tent and sleeping bags.  Take some bikes along and hike and ride.  I did that with my oldest son, and after being forced the first 3 times, he started to beg me to take him camping.

We live in a nation of great national parks.  Just pick a destination and go.  This is something we are missing nowadays in our fast paced spoon fed world.

Quoting:
I was really looking forward to re-living the 70's again from an adult perspective.... until I went to find my computer to check up with my on-line boards. :o
NO MORE NET!!!  The HORROR!
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Well, we did have Compuserve and The Source.  Those were fore-runners of the Internet in many ways.

Although back then, they cost something like $20 an hour to access if I remember right.  And no 56k modem, 300 bps accoustical modems (the kind where you dialed the number, and put the handset into these little cups).

Quoting:
I have no doubt they could survive the 1980's because we all know the 80's RULED!!!  :P

But what about the 1880's...  ;)
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Yes, the 80's ruled.  ;D

As for the 1880's, I have no doubt it would be difficult, but I have always wanted to experience it.  Life seemed much simpler then.  

Quoting:

Are kids spoiled?  Hell yes.  They can get anything they want from the internet, from music and movies to games and sex.    End Quote

Kids today have access to music, movies, games, and what?
That?  I STILL gotta struggle with access to that one!!!
;D

Grampa Max just tells 'em "Why, when I was a lad we had to walk all the way across the room to change the channel...and you only got eight, and four of 'em came in sh*tty!
If you were at the mall, and you had to make a phone call, you had to run around trying to find something called a 'pay phone.'  That was a HUGE device wired to the wall, and it wouldn't even work unless you dropped a whole bunch of coins into it, then you might get to talk for three minutes..."

Quoting:

Kids today have access to music, movies, games, and what?
That?  I STILL gotta struggle with access to that one!!!
;D

Grampa Max just tells 'em "Why, when I was a lad we had to walk all the way across the room to change the channel...and you only got eight, and four of 'em came in sh*tty!
If you were at the mall, and you had to make a phone call, you had to run around trying to find something called a 'pay phone.'  That was a HUGE device wired to the wall, and it wouldn't even work unless you dropped a whole bunch of coins into it, then you might get to talk for three minutes..."
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You can tell Grandpa Max,now everyone has CELL PHONES,so you don't need to drop a whole bunch of coins,just bills for when you have to pay for it by credit card. ;D heehee!


Howard

Quoting:

Grampa Max just tells 'em "Why, when I was a lad we had to walk all the way across the room to change the channel...and you only got eight, and four of 'em came in sh*tty!

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Only eight channels? The luxury of it all...!

Right up until the early 80's we had just three...well, two-and-a-half, as one of 'em wouldn't start up until 6pm in the evening...

Mind you, we've come along in leaps and bounds now...we're blessed with five these days...! Lucky us...! Still mostly cheap rubbish shown at most hours, however...

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Kids now a days don't work hard for anything...JMO
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They would if parents made them.

It's easier said than done, I'm sure; but if parents taught children from a very early age to work for some of the things they want; it would be a lesson that would last their lifetime.

When a child is given responsibility:

*They feel good about themselves.

*They feel good about their parent's trust in them for giving them the responsibility in the first place.

*Once rewarded for a job well done, the child's self esteem is instantly boosted and they truly appreciate their reward because they know they've earned it. There's great strength and security in that kind of self knowledge.

Thus, as children grow older, they don't think twice about working for what they need and want, even if they have to work hard for it.

This issue of working hard and appreciating what one has earned is relevant in any decade.

Thus, I don't believe that if a 17 year-old who had everything just given to them where thrust back in time to any decade without their stuff, especially the 80's, would have a problem surviving.

1) Because they would make do.

2) Because they would be in a good position to finally learn about work and the rewards that come with it, if anything because they would have no other choice.

Quoting:
I have a 17 year old son and I tell him frequently you could not have survived the 80's...he has and always be a spoiled brat.  At the age of 2 he had a tv, vcr, stereo and every game system made.End Quote

You as a parent chose to give him these things. Surely you cannot fault him for having them.

Quoting:I never had those things growing up...I can remember getting our first blow dryer at the age of 13 and I think it cost around $60.00.  Now a days you can get them for $12.00.  
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Your not having those things growing up could be relevant in your decisions with respect to what you have given your son.

Most parents want their children to have more than they had themselves. So, they overcompensate without realizing it. It's a very popular phenomenon with many parents in today's society. When children are given so much without expectations, there's really no way for the children to learn to earn and thus appreciate. That could explain why you feel your child couldn't survive without his things. He's probably never gone without and not had the opportunity to learn to earn.