I want what I want when I want it!

Does the title of this blog entry sound familiar? 
Most of us who are parents or grandparents have probably heard, "I want what I want when I want it!" at one time or another from our kids and grandkids. And yes, we of course, want to make our kids and grandkids happy don't we?

However, making our kids and grandkids happy could also be turning them into spoiled brats. Does anyone other than myself notice that some of the kids today who get what they want when they want it seem to be more demanding, selfish, self-righteous, with a sense of entitlement, unhappy and self-centered.

It has been my experience that kids who are given everything they want when they want it without having to sacrifice are not happy people. They grow up and turn into mean, nasty adults who are still demanding, selfish, self-righteous, with a sense of entitlement, unhappy and self-centered.  

Kids who don't have to help out or help earn what they get tend to treat their stuff with no respect and see no worth or value in it. They know if it breaks that mom & dad or grandma & grandpa will buy them another one.
They don't know, understand or care about the fact that someone else had to work hard to earn the money to buy it in the first place.

Contrary to what some may believe, it's not a bad thing to make your kids help out around the house ~ even at a very young age ~ it can give them a sense of pride and self-worth. A list of the few chores our kids had to do was keeping their rooms clean, washing their own clothes (which means throwing their dirty clothes in the washing machine, adding the laundry detergent and turning it on!), drying their own clothes (which means taking them out of the washing machine and throwing them into the dryer and pushing the start button!) & putting them away, emptying garbage cans, and dishwasher, filling dishwasher, and making their beds.

Kids need to know that they have value and worth and that they are smart enough to earn what they want. If they're given everything they want then they're bound to feel that they're not good enough or smart enough to earn things on their own.

Come on moms & dads, give your kids some credit and send them the signal that they ARE smart enough and they CAN help earn what they want and that you value their opinions and you TRUST their judgement and you're there for them ~ even when they make mistakes and trust me, they will. We all do!