Lovelyish

Definitely too spoiled. I remember how grateful I was to have a TV in my room or to have a computer, even if we all had to share it, or the day I got a gameboy. I think I’m going to be a pretty strict mum, which is pretty funny because when I was younger I used to be like, “I’m never making my kids do this & they’ll always have that!” But my friend grew up in a household like that & she’s 22 & still acts like a spoiled little kid. I want my kids to be ambitious and disciplined enough to go after what they want & not expect it to fall into their laps.

To an extent many are. I’m proud to say I purchased my daughter’s close at a children’s thrift shop for school.

I don’t think it’s fair to generalize. I grew up grateful for all I had. I was fortunate that my parents had jobs that provided us with food, a home & ocassional treats. My niece’s grandpa on her dad’s side spoiled her to the point she expects things from everyone. I get mad because if that were me at her age, I would have had an asswhipping!!!

Definitely. I think in general a lot of westernised kids are spoilt, even though most of them would never admit it. You can be grateful for what you have and still be spoilt – but at the same time, you can be handed things on a silver platter and still not be “spoilt – it all depends on the attitude your parents raised you with, not how much money or things you have.

I don’t think American children are any more spoiled than children from other countries, unless you want to compare them to children in third world countries.  Even then, you can’t compare because having the means to provide your child with nice things does not mean that they will be spoiled, entitled, or anything else.  It is all in how you raise your children.

Using the fact that more people move back into their parents’ home is a really weak argument.  The same thing is happening in other countries, yet no one is claiming people from those countries to be spoiled. 

i think it depends.  as an only child, i usually got whatever i wanted because money and time weren’t issues.  but i’ve always been grateful for what i have gotten.  it certainly hasn’t made me less ambitious.  if anything, it’s made me feel more capable of reaching my goals, because i don’t have to worry about the basics.

I was spoiled to a degree. I had both of my parents together. I had loving grandparents that would help out where they could (with time, not money), my own room, plenty of toys (even though they weren’t Barbie’s Magic Dreamhouse or whatever) and a perpetual friend in my brother. My parents never di my homework for me, never really paid my bills, and I’ve done my own laundry since I was 15. 

But, at 23, I do live with them. It is to save money, to a degree. To get out of debt and blah blah blah. I’m pretty darn spoiled, I’d say 

“But there’s now a whole group of writers proposing that American kids just don’t know how to act like grownups.“

No shit, really?  Kids don’t know how to act like grown up because THEY’RE KIDS! Re-write this article to make more sense.

lol dumb. Living at home means nothing about growing up- granted I live on my own, but living at home can mean stepping up to family responsibilities, not just being a lazy ass.   Its a cultural thing.

I’ve had so many discussions about this lately with people. I wouldn’t call Americans “spoiled”, I would call it something much worse. Almost every single American has an entitlement complex. And it’s not just kids. Adults, all the way up to “the greatest generation” are all entitled. They want what they want when they want it. Everything’s too convenient. And anyone who won’t just automatically agree with them and comply is obviously the enemy. I have a very distinct memory of being in a grocery store late at night (I used to work night shift) and this seventy-something year old man was throwing a fit in front of the butcher’s section because no one was there. At three in the morning. And don’t even remind me of all the random fights I’ve had with fully grown adults because they wanted something and I wouldn’t give it to them.

they might take longer to leave the nest, so they stay to freeload a while, because it is comfortable and they can use them to cure some of their financial burdens or use them as their life crutch. if their parent(s) are okay with it, then okay, but don’t take advantage of their kindness and generosity forever, so you don’t have to be self reliant. if they have some sort of disability that requires their care, then fine, but if they just like to slack off or leech for as long as their parent(s) don’t kick them out, but they likely won’t kick them out, because they don’t have the heart to if they spoiled them and enabled them for a long time. hurry up and fly away on your own already! because your parents want to celebrate and go on vacation without your annoying and mooching self:D

The only spoiled ones are the group of writers who can point fingers at people without knowing their personal situations.

Frankly, if we can’t spoil our kids a little, what is the point of all this progress and technology?  The whole concept of “spoiled” is a little questionable anyways… I know some very entitled people and some people with very destitute backgrounds who share the common desire to better themselves.  I also know people from both backgrounds who think they are the final facet of evolution or creation, and we should all worship them and be blessed to bathe in the light of their perfection.  Background has nothing to do with it, especially on such a vague level as a whole country.

I am not sure if spoiled is the right word. Dependent? Entitled? Believing they deserve something. I think most people my age are a product of that. I’ve changed a bit over throughout college, and while I still had this expectation that of my parents to help me out on certain things (tuition, rent, utilities…) while in college, I worked (well, if you could call it that) and paid for everything else (food, entertainment, ect). I’m trying desperately to cut off the dependency I’ve developed as a child and become a financially independent adult, which should become easier once work starts and I am completely in charge of all my bills.

I was never spoiled as a kid, but every time that I look at a kid these days, I hope that they’re always going to be thankful for what they have

I don’t think anybody who’s actually spoiled thinks they’re spoiled, so yes I think it’s totally possible.  Hell, I probably was (hopefully not too much so)!  

Also – kids today complaining about their maids (also from Lovelyish!):  http://www.lovelyish.com/765406955/10-tweets-from-spoiled-kids-complaining-about-their-maids/

“Spoiled” means rotton, needs thrown out. I strongly dislike when people apply that word to people. Every generation bitches about the one it raised, and the generation their children raised. Gee, I wonder who would be to blame for that? If every generation were getting worse, the world would be a much worse place than it is now. I’m so sick of hearing this garbage.
Do the older generations even realize the mountain of shit they’ve left my generation? The high rate of adults living with their parents is a result of the economical shit hole we’re in. And there’s no shame in it, anyway. As long as all parties involved are okay with the situation, what’s it matter? It makes more sense. Less financial waste, less wasted resources (food, electricity, etc.), and you’re already there when your parents eventually end up needing help in and out of the tub.

Way too spoiled. The normalcy of consumerism and ownership is disgusting in this country. We are so wrapped up in the notions instant gratifications and must-haves that it trickles down to the children and I firmly believe it is getting worse as time goes on.

As everyone else has said, it depends.
Just graduated from HS and as of right now, still living with my parents though right now they pay for my food & my bills, and I pay for my clothes, gas, toiletries… Stuff like that.
Coming January I’ll even have to start paying rent here, hah.
Could actually be sooner. They said I’d have to pay rent if I wasn’t looking for a job as much as I could be or whatever. But when I was still a minor, well, I got a lot of really nice stuff.
At like Christmas. Didn’t get a whole lot otherwise, ahah. No entitlement here!
I think it just totally depends on the parents and how they treat their kids.
The only thing I expect from my parents is support, and, no, I don’t mean financial.
My parents totally said they’d kick me out if I didn’t pay rent, even if it had to be the legal way. My dad said I could keep my car to sleep in.

Totally gonna be like my parents when I’m a parent myself.

I’m only going to address three things here.
 1- actual sociological research has shown that the number of “adults” living with their parents/ moving back in after college has remained relatively consistent over the last 3 to 4 decades. 5-7 decades ago it was expected that unmarried children would live at home with their parents, especially women.
2- levels of independence and expectations are culturally and geographically influenced. & generalizations about all American “kids” are usually based on middle- and upper-middle class kids. Plus 20 somethings don’t really count as kids. Distinctions should always be made if you want arguments to make sense and stick. By 18 or 19, attitudes about chores may have changed or evolved from 9-14. 
3- There has been a continuing trend of “adulthood” being started later and later, which is seemingly normal in industrialized countries; it’s not only the economy (and outsourcing) but cultural expectations about schooling (getting that diploma as status), later retirement because of improving health and longer lives (less room in existing companies for incoming generations), and increasing requirements about schooling for jobs. According to federal reports, over 60% of jobs will require more than a h.s. diploma in the next 5-10 years. that includes jobs in retail (fastest growing market), manual labor, and more analytical jobs. more than 75% will require some type of extra training outside of h.s. add to that the fact that minimum wage is not a living wage in most states, and that americans are raised to believe that there is a minimum standard of living they are entitled to. I’m sure some of you would agree that at 30 you wouldn’t expect yourself or your future child to have to live with 4+ roommates to survive. Even living with parents and paying rent to them is a step up.