5 Tips To Avoid Raising A Spoiled Child

A spoiled child is likely to grow up to be a spoiled adult, so it is advisable to avoid raising a spoiled child by maintaining the right balance between giving in to your child’s demands and teaching discipline right from early childhood.

Raising a happy child is every parent’s dream, so parents do everything possible to fulfill their children’s dreams and make them happy. It is a beautiful feeling to see your child growing happy and healthy. But, it is equally important to avoid spoiling your child with common mistakes that parents sometimes don’t realize are leading to harming a child.

Overindulging

When you don’t miss giving your child everything he/she desires without ever saying ‘no’, you miss teaching them self-control or self-discipline. It is common for children to demand everything that they see other kids have. If parents try to satisfy their children by giving in to all of their demands, it results in overindulgence, which is the root of bad attitudes such as disrespect and self-centeredness.

Avoid overindulging by not giving things or experiences to your child that aren’t appropriate for his/her age. Communicate your expectations clearly and set healthy boundaries when it comes to behavior.

Not limiting screen time

Too much screen time is harmful to your child’s health as well as behavior. Limiting screen time is very important to have a good relationship with your child. The adverse effects of prolonged screen time are obesity, sleep problems, and emotional and behavioral problems. Though technology is a part of life and can’t be entirely avoided, parents are responsible for setting a healthy limit on screen time.

Not letting your child get bored

Keeping children constantly engaged with scheduled activities to avoid boredom keeps them from discovering their interests and potential. Allow them to get creative during their free time with their choice of activity and make use of their imagination.

Do not over-nurture your child by letting your child skip doing anything that he/she doesn’t like, helping your child do homework or having no routine.

Negative judgment

When we rush to judge a child and apply labels without trying to know the cause of the behavior, we react but fail to respond positively. We don’t realize the effect of the words we use in our judgment, while the child feels the effect. When children are repeatedly judged for everything they do, they grow up with hurt feelings, which has an impact on their behavior.

False praise

It is important to encourage children and appreciate them. But praising them too much and when it’s not right to do so, can teach them not to appreciate others and also become less resilient. Encouraging children and appreciating their efforts or behavior helps them develop self-confidence. When they are wrong or need to improve, it is important to sincerely and politely let them know about it. This helps them develop a sense of responsibility and discipline.

Signs of a spoiled child

• A Spoiled child constantly demands attention and enjoys being the center of focus. This keeps the child from forming healthy relationships.
• Doesn’t understand how his/her behavior affects others.
• Throws tantrums on getting disappointed and demands what he/she wants with an expectation to receive it immediately.
• A spoiled child shows superiority over others and doesn’t respect elders or peers.
• Does not appreciate kindness or positive gestures, rather feels entitled.

Raising well-mannered kids doesn’t mean you must say ‘No’ to everything. It is important to understand their developmental needs and maintain a balance. Watching our own behavior is crucial to teaching our children to behave well. It is important that when children grow up, they can handle their adulthood with responsibility and confidence, have healthy relationships, and live a happy life. The life skills required for such adulthood, are learned since childhood, and parenting plays a prominent role in it.

How do you think spoiling kids can affect their adulthood? Do share in comments.