Are we Creating a Generation of Argumentative Adults?

Food for thought for the morning: By teaching our children that we need to explain ourselves constantly, are we creating a generation of argumentative turds?  There is a large quantity of parents that believe that we must explain punishment to children.  For instance, if little Sally hits Tommy in the head with a block, we are supposed to remove Sally from the situation and explain to her why she is being put in time out.  By the same token, if Sally throws a tantrum because Mom isn't listening at the moment, Mom is supposed to explain to Sally why she's being put in time out.  What I'm wondering is this: instead of explaining ourselves and why we have to punish them, why can we not just teach them that "x" is right and "y" is wrong?  If they know that one is right and one is wrong,  they (like many generations before) won't need an explanation as to why you're being punished.  You're being punished because you did something wrong.

Here's my thinking....

Aforementioned Sally grows up and goes to high school.  She knows she's not supposed to do a certain activity.  She does it anyway and gets sent to the principal's office.  The principal is not going to explain every detail of why she's in trouble.  He's going to tell her, "Look you knew the rules.  You chose not to obey.  You're getting suspended."  Sally becomes angry that she's not getting treated the way her parents taught her that she's supposed to be treated.  Sally goes out into the world.  She knows she's not supposed to do a certain activity at work and chooses to do it anyway.  She's not going to get a thousand warnings and then have it explained thoroughly.  You get a warning and then you get fired.  Period. 

While I am an advocate for teaching children HOW to think, not WHAT to think, I'm also an advocate for teaching children right and wrong.  Your job as a parent is to teach them how to behave so that, as adults, they can lead productive lives.  Can you nurture them?  Of course.  Can you create an environment that nurtures them while still letting them know that wrong is wrong?  Yes.  The idea that it has to be black or white when it comes to discipline is absurd.  There is plenty of gray area.  Perhaps the reason that we have a generation of people so offended by everything is because we created a generation of people that believe that everyone should explain everything and treat them like princesses all of the time.

The point is that I'm not going to tell anyone how to parent or not to parent.  However, you should try to look at the long-term consequences of your parenting choices.