Are We Spoiling Our Kids?

Posted by Debate Mom

“I want to give my child everything I didn’t have.” How many times have you heard that or maybe even said it yourself? I know I have. But, how much is too much? I mean, even before your little bundle of joy meets the world, you might already have enough outfits to get them to college. And that’s just the beginning!  

I was reading this article, “Why Are American Kids So Spoiled?”  and it got me thinking about just how much stuff some people buy for their kids. Does a little baby really need to have more clothes and shoes in her closet than I do? Does a 3-year-old really need his own iPad or TV? Does a little girl really need every Barbie doll out there? I think the answer here is no. But in many households the answer seems to be yes. I read that on average every new kid in a household leads to a 30% spike in what a family owns. And that’s just during the preschool years!

I think spoiling a child really can begin at birth and last until they hit those awful teenage years we’ve all heard horror stories about from our parents. So how can we avoid raising spoiled kids? IMO the key is to teach them while they’re young that you can’t get everything you want in this world. Learn how to say no early on. Don’t give in to every want. Sometimes our wallets could be saying no for us in this economy! As much as we may want to give our kids everything we didn’t have, we could be doing them more harm than good.

Do you think American kids are spoiled? What do you do to keep from spoiling your kids?

3 back to preschool

Comments (0)