Why are parents creating an "Entitlement Generation" of spoiled self-indulged brats?

Question

Hi--this question goes only TO PEOPLE PAST AGE 30..
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW "ENTITLEMENT GENERATION" ?(term for teens & youth of today)

I have many teenage realatives--and it sickens me to see all these young teenagers lavished by their parents with brand new cars, i-pods, cell phones, and everything else. Parents foot the bill for everything, and these kids act like money grows on trees.

Why do parents today think that "Parenting" means being a "friend" and giving kids all these material things they havent worked 1 day for? Kids probably think they should be "paid" just for getting dressed in the morning.
Thats not how the real world is!

Whats the deal? DISCUSS

Answer 1

I find it frightening to be honest........mine grew up with a very clear [sometimes too clear] realisation of just how much money I did or did not have....to this day I could sob at a few of the discussion we would have before going to the supermarket about please do not ask for anything outside of what I put in the basket..........BUT on a brighter side my kids now 19 & 18 have a work ethic like you would not beleive, they have seen me do jobs that they KNOW I hate just to bring in some extra money and they also know that what they DID get was freely given and with all my love.......and whilst they might not have got everything they wanted they did not go without...........

I also taught mine that I am not their friend, never have been never will be BUT I am their mother and will hold that title for ever and as such will love them forever also as they have grown up they have seen / experienced friends stabbing them in the back, falling by the wayside when things got tough etc.............

Now that things are much better money wise for us, we can all still recall those days and have no intention of going back to them and both of them work hard, enjoy their lvies but save [pay them self first etc] very hard as well...............they also know that before ANYTHING else happens bills etc MUST be paid.

The parents that give everything and then some are truly not doing their kids any favours as this lifestyle will be expected to be maintained throughout their adult lvies and can see a whole generation coming unstuck at the first sign of a problem due to lack of money as they will ALWAYS live far beyond their means.

At the school I taught in, there was a reward system and I was instructed to "reward" this certain child for coming to school with a pen and a book, all but lost my job when I refused, the gournds of my argument was that IF he ever got off his butt to get a job, NO employer was going to reward him for showing up on time with his unform on.......apart from getting a pay check at the end of the week...............and basically was told that we must fulfill their sense of self worth...........yeah right. get right on that NOT..........

regards [ok stepping away from the key board lol lol]

Answer 2

I'm 47 and was a single parent raising three girls. Thank God I didn't suffer too badly from this. It's gotten worse though and I don't think it's entirely the parents fault. This is how I and hundreds of thousands of others ( the Republican Party) see it. A lot of these parents where brought up by hippies in the 60's - 70's and got involved in politics, education and mass media; gaining control in government, public schools/school boards, Colleges and Broadcasting. They then created the social and welfare programs in place today that we call the welfare state. The snowball effect has engulfed our society to the point that we now have illegal immigrates from outside our boarders expecting hand outs at the taxpayers ex pence regardless of race, religion or politics (beginning of socialism). In the teenagers of today they are exposed to that concept through the schools and peer pressure, The parents have failed in the aspect of improperly bestowing morals and values into their children as well as discipline. This again probably do to the social engineering and ridicule from surrounding and supporting communities through the mass media.

Answer 3

My mom has a friend who has an 11 year old daughter.
This kid has been shaving her legs for about 4 years, gets acrylic nails, high lights and low lights, a Coach purse, an ipod, a cell phone (she got that when she was 9), clothes from Hollister, american Eagle etc...., a lap top, a motorized scooter, a golf cart to go tooling around the neighborhood and I could go on and on and on. She's been 'dating' since she was in 4th grade (mom would pick boy up and take them to the movies, take boyfriend to the lake for the weekend etc...) Her mom talks to her like she's an equal............ I just wonder what the mom is going to do when this little girl shows up pregnant in a couple of years!! The girl is not particularly cute but thinks she is georgeous, is rude to people - especially girls who are more popular or talented etc.... (she starts rumors about them)
I don't know what the deal with this woman and her kids are. My mom expects us to help around the house and if she tells us to do something we'd better not talk back. She never spanks/hits, belittles us etc.... but she will take away our telephone, tv etc... in a heartbeat if we don't do as were told. We love and respect her (and our dad), know we can go to either of our parents about any kind of problem and they'll listen first before they do anything or say anything. We know they love us and they don't give us everything we want. We know if we want cars when we're of age we'll have to buy them ourselves and maintain them.
I'd much rather have my parents than that other girls. My parents are my parents first and formost.

Answer 4

Well, I am under 30, but I did feel the need to respond to your question. I am actually in my very early twenties. I grew up in a family with over six-figure incomes and I think I turned out okay. I purchased my first car myself with the money I had been saving since I turned 15 and got my first part-time job. I then had to pay my own insurance and buy my own gas. When I wanted a cell phone, I had to get one of the no-contract deals (I was underage) and pay for it myself as well. At 18 I moved out into my own apartment and payed my rent and deposits and everything else w/o a co-signer. I am now 23 and I am married (the wedding my husband and I paid for ourselves), in a home that I bought myself, with cars and furniture that I bought myself. I have worked full-time since I have been legally able to and now work as a department head in a large company (that oh yes, I found myself) Not all of the younger generations are selfish brats, some of us were raised properly, and shown by example how to be driven, have strong work-ethic and self- sufficient. My younger sister also moved out at 18 into her own apartment. We were never told that we had to leave, never pushed, we were just ready and capable. I wish more parents were like mine. I learned a lot and only hope that I can one day teach my son the lessons and values my parents have instilled in me.

Answer 5

I totally agree!

Kids NEED to learn that they have to earn to get! Parents say that they dont want their kids being the only one without "whatever", among their peers but but this attitude just creates a vicious circle and puts more pressure on those who can afford it least!

Personally, I think there is an aspect of parents trying to hold on to their own youth by living vicariously through their children and givign them everything that they didnt have as kids themselves!

Answer 6

whew, i'm 30 and 5 months, so i just made the cut.

i think that parents are spoiling their kids because of the way the parents were raised. when i was a kid, everyone's parents were getting divorced. divorced kids already feel neglected, but to make it worse, few parents paid attention to how the kids were dealing. so now we have an entire generation of parents who remember feeling neglected and are trying to make sure their kids don't feel the same way. add that to the fact that we no longer have to grow our own food, build our own houses, or make our own clothes, and you've got an entire generation of children who aren't expected to do chores. it's almost like chores are punishment instead of a tool to teach kids how to take care of themselves in adulthood.

i think that it's important to expect children to have their own opinions and ideas, but it's also important for parents to remember that adults make the rules based on what is good for the kid in the longrun, not in the here and now.

my boyfriend and i were both raised old-school and have already made plans on how our kids (God willing) will be raised: basic manners, regular chores, no cell phones until the kid is old enough to earn money for the bill, one car for all kids and parents get to decide who drives when and how often, schoolwork comes first, parttime jobs are expected in high school, if you're not in school, you're working and paying rent, and 'happy 23 birthday, get the hell out of my house.'

in response to 'tony romo sucks,' i remember being fresh out of college and floored because i couldn't find a steady job with a great salary and a corner office. i think that is just idealism, and we all realize eventually that the way to the top is through the mailroom. i laugh now because one can only figure out the 'real world' when they're in it and making mistakes. i had a job where i was in charge and making damn good money. i traded it for a more laid-back (and less paying) job where i'm happy and productive. life is a tradeoff sometimes, and these kids will figure it out, just like we did.

Answer 7

Lots of parents feel guilty because our standard of living is going down. Parents both have to work & are too tired at night to give the kids much time, quality or quantity. So they give the kids objects, instead.

Answer 8

My company hires alot of college new hires. I am not talking from top tiered schools either. If they are not named VPs by the time they turn 25 they are outraged.

Or they are completely shocked when their first performance review isn't off the charts. They expect to be recognized and rewarded with huge pay raises for average performance. I definitely understand what you are talking about.

Answer 9

Actually they are going to be hard working kids and with the knowledge of all these things they shouldn't have any trouble getting a job.
They come to see these things as necessities and work 12 hour days to have even more.
they love to play on computers and usually find a job programming them or at least fixing them.

Answer 10

The thing is, some parents want their kids to have better lives than they did. That is why they do it.