Is it bad that I agree with this?

[Alex]

What happened to Free to Be You and Me?

What happened to parents being a moderating influence on the stupidity of youth? Almost everything you mention can only be done with the acquiescence of the parents.

Maybe that's why it is worse now (if it is). In the past you could tease but that wasn't going to get the kid a new wardrobe (or a nose job) and eventually most learned to ignore it. Now teasing actually works (since so many parents find it hard to say no to their children) and the smart child knows it pays to play up the drama of teasing.