Parents ruin their kids every day. They never seem to know why their kids act the way they do. Then, they’re shocked at how their children act. We all want our kids to have a better life than we did, but sometimes we take it too far and end up creating a spoiled brat rather than a responsible citizen. Know the typical things that parents do with the best of intentions and the worst of results.
Don’t stick to guidelines. I’m as guilty as anyone else of making this mistake. I draw the line, and then my son tries to see how far he can push it and more often than not, ends up more successful in pushing it than I was in implementing it. When you set a rule, stick by it. This is how our kids learn to trust authority (or not). If we don’t stick with the guidelines, why would they? Further, why will they ever follow them as adults?
Give them everything they want. The law says that parents must house, clothe, and feed our children. It doesn’t indicate that we need to shell out the cash every time a child points to something on a shelf. Furthermore, if you happen to be in a store and your child has a tantrum over not getting something they want, go ahead and spare yourself the embarrassment of the tantrum by buying the item. You’ll regret that as it becomes a repeating pattern, but it’s your choice.
Make more excuses. I’ve seen parents get cussed out by their adult children who are jobless and still living with them. They don’t seem fazed by it and even make excuses for the child. If you’re going to make excuses for your child now, do it with the expectation of continuing that method for years to come.
Do everything for your children. Whether you’re an adult or a child, if you can get by with someone else doing all the work for you, you’re pretty likely to do so. If you want to wait on your child hand and foot when they are adults, then by all means, coddle them now. However, if you ever have any hopes of them being responsible citizens, at some point they are going to have to learn responsibility.
Forget about discipline. Whether your child is a spoiled brat, perfect angel, has special needs or is just the average kid, he or she needs to have consequences for their actions. Parents currently tend to blame the government for not being allowed to spank their children, but I have some good news. There are actually ways to discipline your child without touching them. Take away some electronic products or shut the television off. You might also want to stop handing out cash like its droplet of oxygen as well.
More from this contributor…
False Signs of Lies
Links between Television and Depression
How Absent Parents can destroy their Children with Cell Phones
Source: Personal experience