One of the hardest things I try to teach my Peer Counselors in training is to model good behavior. I think one of the reasons for this is that most of the behavior they observe is anything but good.
One of my guilty pleasures on the rare occasions that I have some spare time is flipping through the endless channels of "reality" television. I happened across The Real Housewives of (Insert County) recently, and I have to say part of me is fascinated with the portrayal of these women. It got me to thinking about the children a) being raised in these environments and b) children observing and thus modeling such spoiled behavior.
The line between wanting to provide the best for your children and the act of spoiling is sometimes hard to find, especially as it often seems to move! But crossing that line can create children that are manipulative, self-centered, demanding and unreasonable. I firmly believe that no parent would want their children to turn out that way (if you disagree, please come by my office).
Sherry Rauh over at WebMD has put together a list of "10 Ways to Raise a Spoiled Child". Below are the ways, and you can read how to avoid them or reverse potential damage here.
One of my guilty pleasures on the rare occasions that I have some spare time is flipping through the endless channels of "reality" television. I happened across The Real Housewives of (Insert County) recently, and I have to say part of me is fascinated with the portrayal of these women. It got me to thinking about the children a) being raised in these environments and b) children observing and thus modeling such spoiled behavior.
The line between wanting to provide the best for your children and the act of spoiling is sometimes hard to find, especially as it often seems to move! But crossing that line can create children that are manipulative, self-centered, demanding and unreasonable. I firmly believe that no parent would want their children to turn out that way (if you disagree, please come by my office).
Sherry Rauh over at WebMD has put together a list of "10 Ways to Raise a Spoiled Child". Below are the ways, and you can read how to avoid them or reverse potential damage here.
- Making your child the center of the world
- Ignoring positive behavior
- Accidentally rewarding negative behavior
- Failing to put clear limits on your child's behavior
- Not enforcing rules consistently
- Picking fights you can't win
- Not holding your child accountable
- Giving your child gifts for the wrong reasons
- Giving in to temper tantrums
- Acting like a spoiled child yourself
Realizing that children don't come with manuals (neither do parents as I tell my students), I am considering offering Active Parenting groups here at Bayside. If you are interested, please give me a call or email me!
