Untangling The Entitlement Trap

How to raise grateful, gracious kids

- Malia Jacobson

Children of all ages are experts in making sure their needs are met. They usually seek out things they need — attention, nourishment, safety and love — from infancy through adulthood. At times though, a child’s natural and normal requests for things can morph into outright demands for things he or she doesn’t really need, from decadent foods to expensive toys to unreasonable appeals for parents’ time and attention.

This type of entitled behavior pushes boundaries and buttons. Curbing a child’s entitled behavior is a challenge in today’s hyper-involved parenting culture, but it’s vital to raising resilient, emotionally healthy children, says Raleigh-based Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and bestselling author of “The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World.” Here’s how to start.

EARLY YEARS