When do adults become "afraid" of teenagers?

Carsinian Thau

We all know that older people have a certain amount of distrust and fear of teenagers but when does it actually happen?
I'd guess at about the 40-45 age bracket.

shane86

Afraid? This reminds me of when I was in college and some knob sent around a petition email against some proposed ASBO laws. There were kids from up the road sitting on the neighbours wall the past few days, tbh if it were my wall ida told em to **** off.

Hey, my idol is Doug the Head from Snatch Seriously though its nothing to do with fear and everything to do with sense. I dont really need over the road kids sitting outside 3 nights in a row observing the typical times we arrive home, go out again and arrive back in. This laptop wasnt free you know, and you know how insurance companies are, if they find out someone left one window open you are ****ed.

Its nothing to do with fear, just vigilance, if I caught one in the gaff after having grabbed a knife from the kitchen theyd wreck their pants. Funnily enough i remember once last winter, around the time of the Padraig Nally trial, i picked up a discarded hurley off the ground with the sole intention of bringing it home for "baytin burglar cnuts" (the words that shot through my head, id had a few beers that night )

Still in the room, knowing my luck i wont be able to find it if i ever require it

Oriel

I'd say earlier, and with good reason.

billy the squid

I don't think adults become "afraid" of teenagers at a certain age, most would probably become wary of teenagers after an incident where they have either been attacked by teenagers, robbed by teenagers, or have found themselves being intimidated by them.

Thrill

I voted 61-65 but i think it's whenever you lose the confidence in yourself to be able to take them on and kick their teeth in in a fight.

In saying that, many is the time I've seen old age pensioners give teenagers an earful with no sign of fear at all.


.

Kintarō Hattori

I don't think it's a case of when adults become afraid of teenagers. I think it's more a case of when do adults find that they can't stand the little dicks. That's already happening for me and I'm just 29.

GAA widow

i'm in my twenties....became intimidated by them when they started drinking in an alleyway near my house, hoodies up.
obviously it is important to turn a blind eye, but when you wake up and find that some little arsewipe has pulled the aerial off your car and decided to jump on the roof of your car (in a "nice" area!) you become a little less tolerant and understanding.

Stark

thrill wrote:

I voted 61-65 but i think it's whenever you lose the confidence in yourself to be able to take them on and kick their teeth in in a fight.

Or when you realise that you're an adult and they're minors, so if they give you trouble and you hit back, you can get into a whole load of **** as well as being known as "that guy who hits kids" afterwards.

Jesus Wept

I blame the hoodies. Weren't they talking of bringing in a ban on hoodies in the UK?

I think that would likely resolve the problems.


:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Mahatma coat

Jayus, so much fear in AH thee days, some people wil always be limpwristed pansies afraid of their own shadows and some people will inimidate these pansies into givin over their lunchmoney.

Teenagers are the ones we see doing the most intimidation as they have only discovered the way of things and it takes a few years to hone yer skills

Reku

Groups of teenagers I'd say that anyone would be wary of, one or two not really a threat unless you're enfeebled in some way (age/disability) or suspect they might have a weapon.

stepbar

Where's the "Kick their ass" option?

mountainyman

I disliked teenagers in my early 20s. Now I don't mind them. I'm not afraid of them- teenage boys are much weaker than men in their 20s and thirties. You get stronger every year until your forties if you do any outdoor work at all.

MM

Miguel_Sanchez

I'm not "afraid" of teenagers. They just piss me off.

They've pissed me off since I was a teenager myself.

mike65

When we have something to loose.

Mike.

little miss

I was more afraid of teenagers when I was one myself than I am now! Not necesserily afraid of them now, but scared of any scum bag in general, be they young or old. If someone shouts abuse or look like they could attack me, then I'm definitely wary.

Owen

I have a few Motorbikes in my garage, and have had one stolen by teenagers, along with most of my power tools. I've spent hundreds installing security lights, new doors, an alarm, etc, but they still keep trying when I'm out at weekends.

It's not that I'm afraid of them, I'd love a chance to take them on personally, but it's the fear of reprocussion, that they'll come back when I'm not there, and key my cars, or smash windows, that's what has me intimidated. I'm not afraid of them, I'm afraid of what they'll do to my belongings. They really have no clue of what it is to earn, and pay for things.

Mahatma coat

My Da had a motorbike stolen by some boisterous teens when I was younger, he found out who they were and tracked them down, needless to say they were model citizens after that

phasers

I am a teenager and I hate them, where's my poll option?

most of them are little dicks, which gets the rest of us a bad name

I've been shouted at by elderly people for sitting in a park chatting at 3 in the afternoon before simply because I'm in the 13-17 age bracket

biko

Youth is wasted on the young

GreeBo

ned78 wrote:

It's not that I'm afraid of them, I'd love a chance to take them on personally, but it's the fear of reprocussion, that they'll come back when I'm not there, and key my cars, or smash windows, that's what has me intimidated. I'm not afraid of them, I'm afraid of what they'll do to my belongings. They really have no clue of what it is to earn, and pay for things.

Exactly.
I'm not afraid of some 15 year old, but if you do something to them they have great delight in making your homelife a misery for the next 5 years until they grow up and either cop on or feck off somewhere else.
Many is the time I have gone after them for dumping stuff in the garden or ringing the door bell, it just gets worse though, they know it annoys you and you have no come back.
"yes I punched the person half my age, but he rang my doorbell":cool:

Kintarō Hattori

biko wrote:

Youth is wasted on the young

Isn't that so true!

Johnny Meagher

I totally support legislation which protects children from abuse by adults but a weird side-effect of that is that it also protects them when they abuse adults. I became wary of children, certain children, when I realised that it is almost impossible to defend yourself if they decide to attack you. I was once punched in the face twice by a 9 year old while his younger friend looked on delighted, I tried to calmly talk to him but he saw my fear and carried on intimidating me, what intimidated me was the power behind him not this slightly built child. I had to keep walking and try to get home. I know that is not what the question is about really, I suppose it is about how big the gap in age has to be before your are either so clueless as to be intimidated by their knowledge of technology etc or are too physically weak to be a match for them. But once your are an "adult" you've got reason to be wary of some kids I'm not looking for advice on the attack or what I should have done, I know what I should have done, I shouldn't have told them to stop stealing the bike in the first place! please! nobody laugh too hard! I know, I know, well I know now, god love me :P it will be the last time I try to help a child not ruin its own life.

blow69

They are really scumbags who happen to be teenagers.They'll be like that in their adult years too.Drawing the dole, drinking in a bar all day etc etc.

Blush_01

Normally about half 11 on a Thursday morning, or so I've heard.



Some day I'll be an adult. Then I'll know everything!

Piste

Jaysus I'm really feeling the hate in this thread...perhaps a better thread title would be "when do adults become scared of SCUMBAG teenagers" (to which the answer would have to be, "when they are scumbag children")

But yeah, Jesus lighten up a bit, I'm pretty sure no-one would feel intimidated by me if they passed me on the street.

MooseJam

the poll is certainly conclusive

Brian Capture

GAA widow wrote:

i'm in my twenties....became intimidated by them when they started drinking in an alleyway near my house, hoodies up.
obviously it is important to turn a blind eye, but when you wake up and find that some little arsewipe has pulled the aerial off your car and decided to jump on the roof of your car (in a "nice" area!) you become a little less tolerant and understanding.

I'm sorry for your trouble.

andrew

If we're sitting on your wall chances are we're just tired, not making a meticulous log of your day to day comings and goings.

And if you ever get one ringing your doorbell and running, for the love of god ignore them. As a wee one, my friends would purposely knick nack those who gave them a response. Ignore them and they'll get bored. Fact.

Dr_Teeth

I become afraid of teenagers when they outnumber me more than 2 to 1

connundrum

I think the important question is 'When did teenagers stop having fear of adults?'

Corporal punishment < Scumbaggery