Why so many kids are so messed up

No consequences, no standards.

Yes, there are bad parents out there, but good parents in this day and age quickly find out that it's them against the world.

There are too many anonymous armchair quarterbacks out there who go crazy and complain when they learn about parents who go the extra mile to discipline their kids. They care more about hurting the kid's feelings than about whether the kid becomes a better person in the end. Make your kid stand by the street and hold a sign telling how awful he or she is, they call you a cruel, Blow your teenage daughter's laptop apart with a .45 caliber handgun, they say you're a monster.

What do they know? Nothing. Nada. Zip. They haven't had to put up with your kids for the last few years, and you have. They don't care whether your kid becomes the next Nobel prize winner or ends up on America's Most Wanted, and you do. Don't listen to them. If your kid misbehaves, do whatever it takes to straighten them out.

When my parents told me about 'the birds and the bees' when I was about 11 or 12, the following was part of the discussion-
Me - "What happens if I get a girl pregnant?"
Parents - "We'll break every bone in your body before kicking you out of the house!"

I'm proud to say that through the grace of God not wanting to FAFO about my parent's threat, I have never had a broken bone in my life. . .nor did I ruin my life or the life of a girl that was in my age group.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm glad they answered your question directly and honestly and without hesitation by warning you what would happen if you got a girl pregnant. Too many parents naively assume that their kids would never do certain things, but yours did not. Smart parents realize that their kids are capable of misbehaving, take steps to prevent misbehavior beforehand, such as warning them what will happen if they misbehave, and if they do misbehave, actually do what they said they would do in response to the misbehavior.

Kids need to know that you'll keep your word, even if the process of keeping your word is unpleasant for them and for you.