Are we too easy?

I've recently been a little frustrated at the me-me-me in my household as well as in society in general. My generation is known as the "Me Generation" and it is NOT something that I'm proud of at all. I was raised from the generation of baby boomers who wanted to give me more than they had and until the age of about fifteen, I was given the very best material things all of the time, no question. I was given great opportunities, went on great vacations, and so on and so forth. At fifteen, I was given a jolt when my parents divorced and we could no longer afford the best. Through a series of circumstances, I was introduced to a vastly different lifestyle where working as soon as I turned sixteen was essential and where I had to choose between this or that. This is a lesson I loathed at the time but love as a grown woman because it taught me so many lessons that I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere including (but not limited to) work ethic, doing your job even if you don't like someone or the job itself, how to handle money, how to manage time, organizational skills, and balancing between wants and needs.
As a preschool teacher, nanny, and now a mother, I am often confused by the balance between too much responsibility and too little on our kids. Our teen pregnancy rate is higher than it was when I was a child. Our juvenile hall numbers are staggering. There are alot more kids walking around with attitudes towards their parents and any other authority figure. Don't get me wrong; there are alot of kids who are turning out great but there are alot who are also spinning out of control. While I believe in every parent's right to choose how to parent their children, I also think that there are alot of parents that raise their children feeling guilty and entitled. I watch and wonder what the difference is between one parent's job and another's.
The last thing is this world that I want is my kids living with me forever telling me what to cook them for breakfast and never reaching their full potential. The fact is that I want my children to be independent and thriving. I am often criticized for making the kids contribute to our household through age-appropriate chores because I should "let them be kids." The fact is that they are allowed abundant time to play and carry on, but they need to learn at a young age that responsibility is just part of life. Fifteen minutes of chores is not too much to ask them. I am criticized for asking the older ones to help the younger ones but I believe that service is something that SHOULD be taught. Helping someone out is not a bad thing. YES, my children are daily moving towards independence and I love that. They are moving towards understanding a work ethic and learning how to work as a team and I love that. We are starting to focus on being charitable and putting others' needs first and I love that. I am looking at the bigger picture and what these lessons will teach them down the road. I am looking at how I want them to turn out and what I want them to remember from their childhood. There are going to be bumps in the road and mistakes but, by golly, I want them to learn to be healthy, respectful, productive members of society that know how to think for themselves and respect their bodies, souls, and minds.
I think if there were a few more people who though less of me-me-me, we might have a somewhat more productive world.