I think the lack of respect comes from parents who no longer demand respect from their children. They are more like their child's "buddy" and "friend" than their "parent." Heck, if my mother was young enough to be my sister, I probably wouldn't respect her much, either.
There's too many children having children in this country. My husband delivered a baby a month or so ago and the mother was 16 and she was having her 3rd child!!!!!!! How disturbing is that?!