The Entitlement Generation

The children of today are becoming known as the “me” generation, or the generation of entitlement. What does this mean? How does it happen? And what are the consequences?

This entitlement generation of children has been raised with the attitude that they are wonderful no matter what; that they deserve the best; and that Mom and Dad will do everything possible to make sure they have it better than they did, and if possible, better than all the other kids on the block. Although this does not apply to all the children of today, it seems a lot more prevalent nowadays.

Hoping your children have it better than you is one thing, especially if you had it particularly rough, but this cannot be accomplished by just giving everything to your children without any work on their part and expecting nothing in return. That is, it is not what to do if you want to raise hard working responsible children who will be able to care for themselves and their own families properly when you are gone.

This me generation is the generation of children who were raised on programs of self-esteem gone awry. Instead of competition in ball games to see who has worked the hardest to become the best, we just give a trophy to every child, without keeping score, and tell them they won it. This is a tragedy, because then those children, who did not work as hard, see that they can still get what those who worked hard got, even by doing nothing.

When children are given every toy and gadget they want when they are young, they become used to it, and when grown, they do not know how to cope with not getting all they want with every whim and they become depressed as adults, or turn to stealing to satisfy their need to get what they want when they want it.

This same attitude is fueled by many of the video games of today. Most of these games do not reward those who work hard, take care of responsibilities, and strive over time to accomplish goals over time. Instead,  they reward those who can shoot and kill the most or find the quickest and sneakiest way to steal the treasure from others. And if you mess up? Just hit the restart/reset button, and all will be well again.

Although this is a tragedy for many young people being raised this way, it certainly gives a great advantage to those who are taught the value of hard work,honesty, and respect for others. Children who are raised with a good work ethic are able to keep on going when the going gets tough, and when the handouts have dried up, the entitlement generation of children will still be standing there waiting to be rescued while those who are taught to be self-sufficient will be striving onward to the goal line.

Those who have a strong work ethic will work like they are being paid millions even when they are in and entry level position, and will therefore, be the ones who get promoted and get the big raise. Those who are raised with the attitude of entitlement will still be standing there thinking the company should be kissing their feet because they chose to work for them and wondering why they didn’t get chosen for the big promotion.

Those who show respect for others will have the advantage of getting noticed for their manners and kind ways which may lead to prosperous relationships later on, while those who think the world owes them and look down upon others will be wondering why they are all alone with no friends.

Those raised as part of the generation of entitlement may get everything they want now, but they will be sorely lacking in happiness and prosperity when they are older.