Say No To Spoiling Your Child

- Nurulhuda Suhaimi

 

Do you find yourself always giving in to your child’s demands so he won’t make a fuss? Or does your child immediately cries and throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way? If your answer to both questions are yes, then you might have a spoiled child on your hands.

Is Your Toddler Spoiled?

Not sure if your toddler is spoiled or just having a bad day? Pamela See, educational and developmental psychologist at Th!nk Psychological Services lists some of the signs you can look out for in a spoiled child:

Reluctant to share his things

Needs to win in every situation

Makes most of the decisions in any family outing or event

Daniel Koh, psychologist at Insights Mind Centre, shares the following signs as well:

Uses negative emotions or behaviour such as anger or aggression to demand compliance from parents

Doesn’t have delayed gratification or the patience to wait for things; if demands are not met immediately, the child will display negative behaviour

Only cares about his own needs and wants

There is no communication or asking; the child only demands or yells out instructions

Attention cannot be shared

How Do You Behave?

The signs of a spoiled child are not just apparent by the child’s behaviour.

Koh also highlights the following ways parents may behave towards a spoiled child:

Loses control and authority, and feels the need to meet demands due to either feeling helpless, or excessively compensating the child

Feels a need to do what the child wants in order to avoid issues

What You Can Do