Does Your Child Act Entitled? 5 Sensible Ways to Curb It

Grocery shopping for eight kids is not for the faint of heart! I strategize my mission to swiftly get in and out in less than, say, a week (Ha!) only to drive home and spend hours putting it all away. I purposely shop in another town so I won't get distracted chatting with neighbors and friends. (No, I'm not kidding!)

It takes a lot to veer me off course, but last week's encounter with an adorable child, probably six years old, did just that. She was having an animated cell phone conversation with her grandmother while shopping with her dad. When the chat was over, the little girl tucked what turned out to be her phone into her backpack. Then, without asking, she hurried down to the candy aisle and shoved several bags of goodies into her dad's shopping cart. When Dad reminded her to put her phone in its case before they left the store, she shook her head and declared that she was too tired. He patted her head indulgently and said he'd take care of it himself when they got to the car.

I want to say I was stunned by this little exchange, but honestly?—I wasn't. Kids behaving entitled (and parents indulging them) seems to be more of the norm these days than the exception.

Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, writes in the article, 9 Signs That a Child Has Entitlement Issues:

When children receive everything they want, we feed into their sense of entitlement—and feelings of gratitude fall by the wayside. ...The entitlement epidemic usually begins with over-parenting—over-indulging, over-protecting, over-pampering, over-praising, and jumping through hoops to meets kids' endless demands. Today's generation of parents are overly invested in their child's happiness, comfort, and success.

Whether you've inadvertently given your child a sense of entitlement (hey, it happens to the best of us!) or you're not quite sure what created the entitlement monster, there are ways to put a stop to the behavior. Here are five simple strategies to help your child realize important values beyond the material.

5 strategies to help curb your child's sense of entitlement

1.  Instill a work ethic deserving of big-ticket items

Kids and chores—this can be a controversial parenting hot button. Some homes thrive because they have an organized system where kids routinely help out with tasks. Other families don't want to burden their kids with scheduled chores because they...

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