The way we bring up our children plays a significant role in how they will later behave as adults and take on the challenges of the real world. According to Psychology Today, spoiled child syndrome is characterised by excessive arrogance and immature behaviour resulting from the failure of parents to enforce consistent, age-appropriate limits.
Children should be encouraged from a young age to solve any small disputes on their own. That means parents should not try to meet their child's every desire all the time. Every child acts up from time to time. But how do you know if your child’s behaviour is normal child behaviour, or a sign that they are spoiled?
Here are signs:
- When the parents buys a child a treat for “being good” in the store
- When you tell your child “no” and then give in
- When you argue with your partner about the children and in front of them
- Allowing the child to talk back to you (at any age).
How can parents prevent selfish behaviour in entitled children?
- Make them work. The harder, the better.
- Make them pay their share of insurance when they begin driving.
- Have healthy boundaries.
- If they break things, make them pay to fix or replace them.
- Put them in the position to learn how to share.
- Don’t isolate them.
- Realise that you (parent) are the one who lacks discipline.
- Have consequences for spoiled children (and stick to them).
- Have them volunteer somewhere.
- Be consistent at training your children.
- Remember: training entitled children is a process that takes lots of time.
As parents, we want the best for our children. We are doing them no favours if we simply give them everything they want, no questions asked. As adults, they will learn the hard way that life isn't so easy and that their actions have consequences.
IOL