As someone who grew up in the South and now lives in the bay area, this is not surprising to me, given the interaction between parents and children I've witnessed since I moved out here four years ago. The attitude people have in the bay area about their children is totally foreign to me. There seems to be an over riding desire to be friends with their children rather than responsible stewards and disciplinarians guiding these kids to responsible adulthood.
my almost 16 yo spoke about this subject to me, last weekend. she said that parent's time for being cool has PASSED and that they need to just get over it and be parents. : )