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Replies to '10/31 "Spoiled and Entitled?"'
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October 30, 2005, 8:53 am PST
 Quote From: jrbaker Parents spoil their children every day by buying them the latest toy, gadget, or article of clothing. It seems as though parents want to make sure their children are entertained every waking second of the day. What has happened to talking with each other? You see portable DVD players in cars now, or even worse, in the laps of young children being strolled around the mall. Many parents seem like they don't enjoy their children's company, so they give them all this stuff in lieu of forming meaningful relationships. This makes the children expect more and more material items, and they gain less and less social skills and appreciation. This topic really gets to me, because the next generation is going to be so spoiled & have such inflated senses of entitlement that there will be no sense of achievement or gratitude. When you get it all early, there is no way you can appreciate life. I believe that working hard to accomplish goals and build a solid future generates good character. If parents begin showering their children with so much from birth, they need to be prepared to pay for that standard of living until their children are 50 because the child will expect it & not be able to settle for anything less. So many of my peers bought the huge house after getting married, along with brand new cars, and expensive wardrobes. Underneath it all, their credit cards are maxed out & they are stressed and worried because they are living paycheck to paycheck, products of being spoiled as children by their parents. When are parents going to realize that they can't buy their children's love & happiness? There's nothing like snuggling up with my daughter to read her favorite book, or simply having a conversation about her day. That's what family means to us! Kids appreciate what you do with/for them more than what you give them if you teach them early.
A story for you: (my brother calls me Cliff from Cheers... ;-)
I was making a Halloween costume for my son. My then 12 yr old nephew seemed to be hanging close by watching me while I was sewing it together. I finally asked him what was up and he replied "My mom (birth mother not my sister) has never made me a costume, she always just bought them." I laid my son's costume aside, asked him what he wanted to be and off we all went to the fabric store. The ladies at the store got involved when they saw a 12yr old boy looking through the pattern, lots of laughing and giggling, pretty much a flurry of mother hens! Took all the stuff home, Charlie helped cut the material, lay the pattern on the cloth and he would have run the sewing machine if I'd let him :-) Charlie was the best Beetlejuice you ever saw!
It also turned out to be the last time Charlie got to go trick or treating, the following summer he was diagnosed with Juvenile onset diabetes. The Beetlejuice costume is still in the upstairs closet waiting for Charlie's son to grow tall enough to wear it. Charlie is now 26 yrs old, doing well and nearly every time the family gathers he asks me to pull it out for Blake to try on, trying to see if it fits him yet.
Your kids remember the gift of your time and care much longer than the material things you give them. |
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October 31, 2005, 8:21 am PST
Quote From: jrbaker Parents spoil their children every day by buying them the latest toy, gadget, or article of clothing. It seems as though parents want to make sure their children are entertained every waking second of the day. What has happened to talking with each other? You see portable DVD players in cars now, or even worse, in the laps of young children being strolled around the mall. Many parents seem like they don't enjoy their children's company, so they give them all this stuff in lieu of forming meaningful relationships. This makes the children expect more and more material items, and they gain less and less social skills and appreciation. This topic really gets to me, because the next generation is going to be so spoiled & have such inflated senses of entitlement that there will be no sense of achievement or gratitude. When you get it all early, there is no way you can appreciate life. I believe that working hard to accomplish goals and build a solid future generates good character. If parents begin showering their children with so much from birth, they need to be prepared to pay for that standard of living until their children are 50 because the child will expect it & not be able to settle for anything less. So many of my peers bought the huge house after getting married, along with brand new cars, and expensive wardrobes. Underneath it all, their credit cards are maxed out & they are stressed and worried because they are living paycheck to paycheck, products of being spoiled as children by their parents. When are parents going to realize that they can't buy their children's love & happiness? There's nothing like snuggling up with my daughter to read her favorite book, or simply having a conversation about her day. That's what family means to us! Personally I think it's because a lot(not all) of parents are lazy and don't want to invest any time with their kids. In their minds, it's probably easier to just buy them whatever they want or let them do whatever they want. |
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