Can Today's Children Be Happy - Without Being Spoiled?

The so-called Baby Boomer Generation grew up with few of the luxuries most children seem to have today. Some would say that the simpler life of the 50's and 60's also made for happier children. They had less consumer products, less TV, and less electronic toys. Can children be happy in the early part of the 21st century without parents spoiling them rotten? The answer is an unqualified yes.

Look at today's kids. Cells phones, designer clothes, hand-held games, unlimited "taxi" service, and much more. How are children being raised today? Since the boomers did not have any of this, something must be missing in order to fit in all the new. What?

Then there are the role models. Celebrities, celebrities, and celebrities. One has to wonder what our youth think when they read all the "gossip" in the papers and magazines. That is followed by the nightly TV newscasts highlighting the mess their "hero" is in.

We all want to raise happy, well adjusted, children. If this is the result you want to achieve, then there will be times when you must say "No". If too much comes on a silver platter, then how will they learn to deal with life when they move out? Will you continue to spoil them after they get married? One parent wrote in to a well known columnist saying that they finally learned to say no, and now their married daughter has not answered their calls for 3 months!

If you give your child everything they desire (which in some cases is just based on what they saw a friend get) you will deprive them of experiencing the ups and down of life; which could prevent them from reaching their goals later in life. Disappointment is something that we all must go through. Better to learn to deal with the facts of disappointment early in life rather than later.

You have heard the saying - "If you don’t expect it, you’ll never be disappointed." "Things" are not where it's at. Values, morals, and the unconditional love that abounds within the family. That is where it's at. Keep these principles in mind and raising happy children without spoiling them rotten will be easy.