This past Sunday, my pastor Crawford Loritts of Fellowship Bible Church brought an incredible message from the life of Joseph. In addition to being a dear friend and Bible scholar, Crawford has raised four wonderful children and is an expert on parenting.
Before giving you his thoughts on how many parents are raising spoiled and entitled children, let me pass on a few of his observations:
- “One of the signs of entitlement is the failure to express gratitude.”
- “God does not use perfect people but perfects the people He uses.”
- “Our culture puts a premium on desire.”
- “God gives us a dream to become worthy of.”
- “The tendencies of one generation become the traits of the next.”
With those as our foundational thoughts, the following are 8 Ways To Raised A Spoiled And Entitled Child:
- Shield them from consequences.
- Downplay the hard truth about their character.
- Make them the star of the family.
- Raise them without the gift of responsibility or accountability.
- Protect them from sacrifice and service.
- Treat them as if their happiness is all that matters.
- Treat them as if they don’t deserve suffering and pain.
- Treat them as if they must be recognized for all they do.
Children raised this way will definitely be spoiled and have a sense of entitlement. As Crawford added, “Maturity cannot be assumed or borrowed. It must be experienced and developed.”
Raising children is hard but it is a price all parents must pay. The reality is that we are suffering a crisis of delayed adolescence and entitlement. We must do the parental heavy lifting needed to reverse this trend.
What do you think of the 8 approaches to parenting mentioned above?
Subscribe here so future posts can be sent directly to your Inbox. Also, as a gift for doing so, I will also send you a FREE copy of my eBook The 2011 Year In Hollywood Movies – Leadership Edition.