I can take the mountains of mess, the pilfering of my possessions, the relentless retail demands (so much deodorant — why?). But what I cannot take is the rudeness. “It’s easier to deal with rudeness in a younger child because it doesn’t hurt you so much,” Apter says. It’s a real change from what’s called the epistemic trust of young children, where so much of the attachment is, ‘I trust your view of the world. Whereas now I feel on my own and it’s all your fault.’”AdvertisementApter agrees that this doesn’t mean rudeness is acceptable.

Source: The Times October 03, 2025 16:47 UTC