PBA:
You are so wrong it is pathetic. Do you work with OTD kids? Or their parents? Do you know these situations well enough to blast such insane and untrue generalizations? Your comment is shameful, and you owe some requests for mechila to many people.
Here are some facts you might consider:
* The environment to which our children are exposed is highly toxic – worse than any other generation. For examples, think about technology, the exposure of information virtually everywhere, and the norms of the society in which we live.
* Despite the proliferation of apparatus to simplify life and save us time, there is no one who really saves anything. We’re all busier than ever, more preoccupied with countless things, and distracted successfully away from the home.
* Our entire chinuch system is based on larger and larger groups, with the supreme focus being compliance, not education. Read through some yeshivos and school entrance packets with the “rules” and the consequences of varying levels of rejection (detention, suspension, expulsion). Now tell me how a talmid is supposed to develop the motivation to excel in Torah and mitzvos.
* A child grows up in many different environments with many layers of complexity of influences. It is stupid and unfair to lay blame at the feet of anyone for all or most cases of OTD kids. As many cases of those who have backgrounds of “dysfunctional families”, there are at least as many who are victims of the chinuch system, or have other experiences that pushed them into the realms of struggle.
* There are many like you, PBA, who blame parents for everything. So did Freud, and he has been shelved by most members of the mental health professions – and for a good reason. Most people who point fingers at the families are actually looking to divert any attention to the failures and shortcomings of communities and chinuch. It is a simple, but ineffective defense.
* As for the opening question, each instance has its own unique features, and would require a specific eitzah from someone broad minded enough to grasp the entire situation. These generalities about all OTD kids or 80% of them, etc. are foolish and frankly primitive thinking.