Teens these days are just handed expensive things by their parents, and never have to lift a finger by working or even think about save money to buy them on their own. Putting the idea into many teen’s minds now a days about how they can just get items handed to them whenever they want will just set them up for failure in the future.
Walking down the hallways of Mountain Vista High School it seems to me that you see many groups of teens with expensive clothes on. How many of those teens do you actually think worked to earn those clothes?
“Spoiling your children can be harmful to them, both socially and developmentally. Since children who are spoiled often do not have to learn to solve their own problems, they can lack the life skills necessary to successfully negotiate the demands of adulthood.” (Scottsdale)
How many girls do you see walking down the hallway with Vera Bradley or Dakine backpacks? Do you think they saved up to buy the backpack or did mommy and daddy buy it for them!
Seeing the teens who don’t have to work for anything and are just given anything at the drop of a dime by their parents makes me want to scream! I’ve had a job since I was 13 years old and have been working since. I also have 3 different savings accounts for my car, college tuition, and just having spending money.
“Children who are spoiled can become overly dependent on their parents, which can cause them to have trouble making themselves happy as adults.” (Scottsdale) Once the teens become dependent upon their parents they will think that everyone else in the real world will just handed them everything and anything in life, but that really doesn’t happen!
“When children are spoiled, they often don't have to learn responsible behaviors. According to "Baton Rouge Parents Magazine," children who were spoiled are unable to understand the concept of boundaries as adults and can develop problems such as spending, gambling, overeating and drinking. These children are sometimes unmotivated and can be described as lazy or angry. Lacking in emotional maturity and having poor problem-solving skills, these adults might flounder and become unhappy with their lives.” (Scottsdale)
Teens that have never worked and are supported all throughout high school and college will enter the real world and have a huge rude awakening. The young adults will have to figure out how to get a job, earn enough money to pay rent and bills, and to have spending money on top of all that.
“Disrespect and defiance are characteristic of spoiled children, who are likely to whine, beg, ignore or manipulate to get their way. Often, spoiled children are so overindulged they do not get to express themselves in ways other than through their negative behaviors. Rebellion can become a natural response in these children, who are overindulged and overprotected.” (Scottsdale)
In the movie “Cow Bells” featuring Ally and AJ, the sisters are spoiled teens because their daddy gives them whatever they want right when they want it. Finally, they get cut off and have to start working for their own money and learn responsibility. At first the girls don’t understand that they have to do manual labor to earn spending money and just money in general. As the movie progresses on they understand responsibility and how to earn their own money without daddy giving it to them right when they need it.
“Because they have not learned that relationships involve both give and take, children who are spoiled can have trouble making and keeping meaningful friendships.” (Scottsdale) Not being able to understand that a relationship consists of giving and taking; teens who are spoiled think that anyone they meet or try to have a relationship with will do anything for them right when they need it, but that’s not true. The spoiled teen then needs to figure out how to do stuff on their own and not have their parents do it for them all the time before they start to have a true relationship with anyone.
If more teens in Highlands Ranch learned how to earn their own money and be productive on their own once they get out into the real world, they will actually understand how participate in a normal society where people work for their own money and can live on their own.
Members of society have made us into the teens we are today and so have our parents. So here’s a little advice stop; having mommy and daddy stop giving you things and actually get a job and work for it!
Scottsdale, Brenda. "Long-Term Effects of Spoiling Children." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.