Sliding to the left: A post for my dear wife

My wife just came back from a ladies night out very upset. She believes that in our Modern Orthodox community, there seems to be a slow decline in religiosity. Friends of ours who used to be quite RW MO now seem to be LW MO, if that. One woman now doesn't cover her hair and wears jeans (gasp). Another woman complains bitterly about Taharas Hamishpachah. Given a choice of schools, one Modern Orthodox and one not quite Orthodox, many members of our shul seem to be opting for the not quite Orthodox, despite the fact that the Modern Orthodox school is just as good academically. And then of course there's me, and all the other husbands who also think just like me (which turns out to be a remarkably high number of us, including Rabbis). What's going on? Is this unusual, or typical?

I think it might be a combination of factors. Firstly, I think it's natural that, outside of Lakewood, as people get older the passions of their youth start to die down a bit. People who 'frummed out' in Israel, who got married covering their hair, as they get older and the pressures and lessons of life come to bear, start to be less concerned about such things.

Secondly, I have always maintained that the demographic in our MO community is more 'left' than 'right'. True, we have some world class YU Rabbis, but the majority of the congregants are more left. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I don't think this is the case in the average shul in Teaneck, but I think it is the case in many other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, in the local chareidi community, things don't seem to be much better. A long time black hatter, takes off his hat, takes his kids out of the Torah True school and announces to the world that he and his family are no longer religious. Some of the BT's  who so enthusiatically embraced the evangelicals (Kiruv Clowns) in their younger years are now older and wiser, and bitter. Of course the frummies continue to get frummier, but I'm talking about the average person.

Is this the same in your neck of the woods? 

Or are people going in the opposite direction and my community is an aberation? Or is this just a coincidence? Or maybe, my wife is actually upset about something else entirely (I can't imagine what) and is just transferring her displeasure to this issue. Before you all laugh hysterically, she did insist that this was about the community, not me. And before you all point fingers at me, nobody in my community, except confirmed kofrim, read my blog, so I can't be to blame for this slide to the left.

I think age might have a lot to do with it so I would appreciate responses from the elderly more mature members of the community.

Finally, I hate to see my wife upset. So this might be the one issue which does get me to change my tactics.

[I am XGH's wife and I approve this message.]