American society has developed an overwhelming attitude of Entitlement. We have an unrealistic expectation that we deserve to start at the top or a higher level than other people who have worked for years to achieve the level of success that they now enjoy. Unfortunately, far too many parents do nothing to dispel this attitude. They seem to promote it through the use of omission. This attitude of entitlement can result from several factors.
1) Educational Elitism – The attitude of, “I am more qualified than someone else just because I attended a more prestigious university than they did.”
2) Parental care – Current generations indulge in a higher level of care than their parents enjoyed, thus leading to a generation with very little appreciation for money or the effort it took for their parents to provide them with the life in which they now revel.
3) Moral fabric – The development of the “it’s not my fault” generation. The pervasive attitude that it’s never their own fault, even when the result directly correlates to their own actions.
My wife and I experienced the first category when our daughter was looking for a place to attend college many years ago. Because of her record in grade school, she had her choice of where she wanted to attend college. She had offers from several very big-name schools, but she eventually settled on the University of North Texas (UNT). Mom and I were very pleased that she did. But you would not believe how many big-name out-of-state schools pushed the idea that a degree from them would give her an advantage in the business world purely because of who they are. UNT pushed the quality of education she would receive instead of how their degrees would make her life easier.
Because of my profession, I can see how families that live a very comfortable lifestyle raise their children. I see the morals and standards they raise their children with. Some of these kids get things that even my wife and I cannot afford. They have phones, palm pilots, laptops, and very expensive cars even before they have graduated from high school. How will a sixteen-year-old learn to appreciate the value of money if he receives a $60K car (a brand new Corvette) on his sixteen birthday? Mom and Dad are trying to buy their kid. They seem to think money can take the place of parental involvement. I can speak from personal experience on this issue. I assure you it CANNOT, and it never will.
Do you truly believe that a firm sense of family unity will develop if the members of your family go out to eat and then sit there on your phones, hardly talking to one another? Then you wonder why you feel like you don’t even know them when they end up in trouble. How about leaving the phones in the car? You make it worse by using your financial clout to get them out of it instead of allowing them to learn the lesson that money cannot buy anything and everything.
This is one of my pet peeves. This country has cultivated the “it’s not my fault, man” generation. We make excuses for everything. I just wish that we would stop blaming everyone else but ourselves for the things we do. We seem to have more excuses than there are grains of sand on a beach. Growing up also means learning to take responsibility for the things we do. How can you teach your own children to be responsible adults someday if you won’t exhibit this same quality as they grow up?
Due to the COVID crisis we have been forced to try to raise additional funds through GoFundMe to be able to continue expanding our services to help children and their parents. Will you consider donating?
Please visit our GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/manage/tourettic-bully-proofer.
