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To learn more about this type of behavior, we contacted Talya Stone, media maven who now runs digital magazines Motherhood: The Real Deal and 40 Now What.
"Sadly, I believe that gratitude and humility don't come naturally to children these days because we worship at the altar of consumerism, and children in the western world are used to having pretty much everything they want, and a lot of the time it's on-demand," Stone told Bored Panda.
"Moreover, when parents want their children to enjoy the luxuries and perhaps every comfort and opportunity they didn't have as a child without any kind of struggle or wanting for anything in the mix, unfortunately, this can be a breeding ground for ingratitude and insolence. So yes, parents these days actually need to work even harder to instill gratitude and humility in their children simply because children in this modern world have it too good."
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Stone touched upon something very important. Overindulgence. The consequences of spoiling your kids aren't pretty. Research shows that it leads to self-centeredness, greed, and unwillingness to be held accountable for actions, to name just a few of the unpleasant traits seen in children and adults who got too much, too often. And the fact that we are more affluent than previous generations has a lot to do with it!
"It's important for parents to teach [their kids] basic principles that can help to counteract the overindulgence as well as trying not to overindulge them in the first place," Stone highlighted.
"Children these days are so used to getting what they want without having to work for it. So get them to do some chores and pull their weight around the house from an early age (not for money though!), teach them gratitude and how to say thank you, ensure they have boundaries for behavior and discipline when it's called for, teach them manners, educate them about those in the world who have less or nothing, and be sure that you raise them to understand the value of money."
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Psychotherapist Amy Morin said that while it's important to address a child's ungrateful behavior, parents also have to keep in mind that it's normal for the little ones to be a bit egocentric at times. However, over time, these moments should become less frequent, not more.
Talya Stone also provided a few examples of how to achieve it:
- Limit the number of presents they receive in the first instance;
- Donate some presents to charity or disadvantaged children or better yet take them round to give food and drinks to the homeless;
- Put some of their toys/gifts away then give it back to them so that they learn to appreciate them;
- Educate them about saying please and thank you and why it's important to be grateful;
- Instill a daily gratitude practice to help cultivate an attitude of gratitude;
- Demand an appropriate level of respect in your family and ensure you are modeling this too;
- Have them write thank you letters/make thank you videos for every present they receive.
Let's hope that next Christmas will be easier than this one!
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