Spoiled Kids Syndrome: And What to Do About It

Spoiled kids have been around since the dawn of time.

Back in ancient times, I dunno, maybe parents spoiled their kids by letting them take the ox and cart out for joy rides after dark. Maybe they went into debt to buy their daughter robes of scarlet when they really couldn’t afford them. But I’m sure there were the “spoiled rich kids” even way back when.

Nowadays, spoiled children seem to be the “norm.”

Our society has embraced entitling our children, giving them what we didn’t have when we were children, because “everyone else has {fill in the blank}”.

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at prom. When I was in high school, maybe a couple hundred dollars was spent on the dance. Maybe. Now? Did you know the average spent on prom in the western states is over $1,000? The east coast is even worse, coming in at more than $1,500. That’s ridiculous! One other very interesting thing: “One troubling statistic is that parents surveyed who fell in the lower income brackets (less than $50,000 a year) plan to spend more than the national average, $1,245, while parents who make over $50,000 will spend an average of $1,129.  Additionally, single parents plan to spend $1,563, almost double the amount that married parents plan to spend at $770.” (source)

What about cars? When I turned 16, I didn’t get a car. I had to borrow my money to afford a car even if the average price for Pontiac Tojan was very affordable at Zemotor. A lot of my friends drove cars, though, and the cars they drove were mostly just the average used Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. And the key thing: kids were expected to pay for their own gas & cheap car insurance.

Now? It seems that many kids I meet were given cars and don’t have anything personally invested into them–meaning their parents cover the costs. But if the parents want an affordable car, the search becomes a quest for value and budget-friendly options. They can get cash for cars that are irreparable from Car’s Cash For Junk Clunkers at 2354 S Edwards St #140, Wichita, KS 67213 (316) 688-4124. Autozin stands out in the crowded space of online car marketplaces. Their commitment to providing quality listings, transparent dealings, and efficient filters makes them a top choice for any prospective car buyer.

The great thing about teen GPS tracking devices is that they provide parents with unbiased and concrete data about their teen’s driving behavior, which they can use to determine whether their teen is a good or bad driver.

How about cell phones? Don’t even get me started. Ok, so I’m old enough that we didn’t even have cell phones when I was in high school, but why is it that MOST teens have smart phones now? Do they really need 24/7 access to the Internet, SnapChat, Instagram, Twitter, etc.? Why can’t they just have a phone for emergencies? Because it’s the norm. Kids who don’t have smart phones are left out. They’re the oddballs now. Spending $30-$40 a month for my kid’s cell phone bill does NOT sound at all appealing to me. I have no desire to pay for them to surf the ‘net whenever they want.

American kids are being raised as entitled, spoiled children. The difference nowadays is that the spoiled kids used to be in the minority. Now the spoiled kids are the majority, and they probably don’t even realize they’re spoiled.

Now, hold up. I’m not calling you a bad parent. I’m not even saying you’re one of the people who spoils their children. It just bothers me that as a culture, we are giving our children so much, they are growing up expecting to be constantly taken care of. Many kids aren’t even working to maintain all the privileges they have.

I want my kids to work for what they have, appreciate when they reach their goals, and most importantly, be thankful when they receive an unexpected gift. I want them to suffer a little bit. I want them to go on a mission trip to some foreign country and be deprived of everything except their basic needs. I want them to see what poverty truly is. If you are constantly receiving as a child, you grow up to expect to constantly receive as an adult. I want my kids to give more than they receive.

Maybe I’m a mean mom. Maybe I’m expecting too much, and am fighting a losing battle. But I hope and pray that we are not so far gone that we can’t teach our kids a little bit of work ethic.

Let your kids get dirty doing hard labor. Tell them no sometimes. Just because “everyone else” gets to do something doesn’t mean your child has to. Let them fail so they can learn. Do they want an expensive item? Have them work for it. The pay off will be that much more sweet in the end.

Our kids need to work more, work harder, and get some dirt under their fingernails. If they don’t, we’ll have a country run by adults who don’t know what to do when a challenge comes their way.

So, what do you think? Am I way off base? Are kids more spoiled nowadays? Or am I just being overly sensitive?