Raising a Spoiled Teenager

Parents usually have the best of intentions when it comes to their kids, and you may not have even realized that your teen was getting spoiled until it was already done. It's natural to want to give your kids everything you can, but sometimes you can go overboard and create a monster. Luckily, you can undo the damage and help your teen become less spoiled.

  1. Why Being Spoiled Is Bad

    • Being spoiled causes more damage than just making your teen a pain to live with. DrPhil.com explains that kids and teens that are spoiled develop a sense of entitlement, thinking they deserve things just for existing, and not because they worked for them. Teens who are spoiled aren't learning the important lesson that they need to take care of themselves. If you do everything for your teen so he never has to lift a finger, you are actually doing a disservice to your teen because he will be lost when he goes out on his own. Buying everything for your teens because you feel guilty about a lack of time together can also send the wrong message to teens. You don't want your teen to think material things equal love or that shopping is a good way to cope with difficult emotions.

    Helping Teens Become Less Spoiled

    • The International Child and Youth Care Network advises that teens be made to do chores. For example, have your teen be in charge of the family's laundry, or help a younger sibling with homework, or go grocery shopping. A teen should also be responsible for keeping her own room clean and making her bed, at a minimum. You may want to consider giving an allowance to your teen, and having this be her only spending money so that your teen learns the importance of budgeting and the value of a dollar. Your teen may not think jeans that cost $100 are so important if it takes five weeks of her allowance to pay for them.

    Volunteering

    • Encourage your teen to do volunteer work, either occasionally or on a regular basis. Whether it's working in a food bank or soup kitchen, volunteering at a local animal shelter, or spending time reading to local seniors at a nursing home, volunteering will help your teen think of other people besides herself. It should also give her a glimpse into the lives of others who aren't as fortunate as herself, which will hopefully help her forget her spoiled ways.

    Set a Good Example

    • If you don't want your teen to be spoiled, it's important that you set a good example. Be grateful for the things you have and don't have a fit every time you don't get your way. Also remember that if you are the type who has to get a new designer handbag every month or the newest style of phone every six months when it comes out, it's going to be tough to convince your teen that material things aren't important. Set the example that you want your teen to follow.

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