Everyone has an opinion on this. Some feel very strongly that spoiled children grow up to be selfish and entitled. Others feel that children are only small for a short time, so spoiling them is justified.
For me, spoiling children is absolutely fine. In fact, I love to see children being spoiled. I always over spoil my daughter, whatever the occasion may be. Sometimes, there isn’t even an occasion to justify spoiling her. I often take her to the shops after school to choose a new toy, or take her to buy a new outift on a random Saturday afternoon. During the weekly shop, she always puts a magazine of her choice in the trolley, maybe some sweets and chocolates.
Every weekend we like to take her to enjoy nice days out. Whether it be somewhere in nature, a theme park or a soft play, it all ends up costing money. I have to admit I rarely tell her that she cannot have something. I am thoroughly addicted to seeing her little face light up when she gets something that she loves. Family have often told me that I spoil my daughter, and then proceed to tell me that it will come back and bite me in the derriere in the future.
I have to say, there is some truth to this. I have noticed she does often expect things, even when we are running errands or simply nipping for a quick coffee. She will say ‘I am going to get this toy’, or ‘I need this magazine’. On the times that I have told her she cannot have something, she will often say ‘I always get something, why not this time?’. I realise it is entirely my own fault, and it does make me cringe when she comes across as entitled at times. It makes me cringe because she really is not that sort of child. She is kind, and extremley caring and understanding.
That’s not to say that I have managed to avoid the dreaded tantrums when she hears the word ‘no’. I have experienced many of these in public, and they are mortifying. Just last week, we were in the local grocery store and she had taken a fancy to some pretty hair slides and a sequin backpack. We had returned from holiday only a few days prior, and it had also been her birthday, so I couldn’t justify paying the £40 that they cost. When I tried to explain this to my daughter, she started to flail her arms, shout out and pull at me whilst screaming at me to get them for her. The shop was busy and I could feel eyes burning into us. I turned a deep shade of crimson and tried to deescalate the situation without losing my cool. In the end I walked away from her, and she eventually followed me and calmed down. But it lead to me wondering if spoiling her was the right thing to do.
Let me know what you think!
Cheerio
E x
Diary of a Working Mum 
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