Avoid Raising Entitled Children: Teaching Kids To Be Kind, Self-Assured But Not Spoiled

Are today's parents raising entitled children? Some experts who deal with families see this common trend. Over-indulgent helicopter moms and dads who give their kids all the advantages and opportunities are bringing up children who are self-indulgent, self-centered and spoiled.

As a parent, how does one avoid raising entitled children? So that the kids grow up kind and assured of who they are but not spoiled, what skills or values should mothers or fathers impart to their kids?

Teaching children perspective is one way to go, according to U.S. News. Showing kids that people have different points of view or feelings about certain issues or situations helps them become open-minded. It also helps them see that they are not the center of the world. It also helps them learn to empathize with other people, which cultivates the way they relate to others so they forge good relationships.

Teaching children to be grateful for the blessings is also another important value to raising kind and self-assured children but parents need to emphasize giving thanks is not just about material things. Sometimes lessons about gratefulness can come from negative situations, such as when a child is sick. It helps children understand the bigger but more important things to embrace in life like family, good health and comfort, Parenting noted.

Josh Wright, a behaviorist and father of three kids, regularly brings his children to help out in a soup kitchen, as per The Washington Post. Doing so teaches his kids perspective, gratefulness as well as kindness as they meet and relate to people from disadvantaged families. "For [my] kids to internalize it, it needs to be about individual people," he said.

It's also important for parents to be firm with kids when if they break the rules. Sometimes, moms or dads either want to avoid arguments or fear the children will resent them, so they don't press the matter and let the kids slide. Children, however, won't learn valuable lessons about regrets and accountability when conflicts are addressed by brushing these under the rug.

Kids model their behavior from what they see in their parents. Thus, if moms and dads are showing the right ethics and values, their children will easily pick up on this as well.