A Culture of Entitlement

Yes I'm off on one again! I do NOT understand this new madness of spending a fortune to give your kid a massive pile of stuff for Easter

I've seen lots of pictures this Easter of extravagant piles of gifts waiting for children. In fact this post has been brought about after seeing a picture in a facebook group of a table filled with gifts. I shan't show it as it's not mine and I don't have permission. In the picture (for two children)

• 6 giant (like wholesale sized) bags of sweeties
• 20 Easter eggs
• A pile of toys and games
• A selection of fancy dress
• A pile of new clothes
• DVD's
• Board games
• Soft toys
• Two baskets of toiletries and more sweets.

This was from just parents, not an accumulation of family gifts!

Now I'm going to keep religion out of this, despite the fact that today IS a religious celebration! But seriously it's Easter people, you know like a long weekend full of food and family not an opportunity to have a second christmas (although we have a £50 budget for that too!) So let me state right off if you buy this amount of stuff for your kids I know you are reading this thinking, 'well it's none of your business, what has it to do with you, they are my kids and it does them no harm.' I'm sure you beleive this, I'm sure you are 100% certain that I'm just a stingy stroppy cow who should be quiet. You are after all 'making memories'

Perhaps you are right but let me tell you this, it is my business as a member of a society filled with people who are becoming spoiled, debt riddled and cross that they can't have whatever they want! I know this because I'm spoiled, well I was spoiled, I grew up spoiled. With parents who could be manipulated into buying my affections with STUFF because they had dared to separate. I got a lot of stuff for Christmas, Easter, Birthdays I got a lot of pocket money a lot of clothes I got a lot of everything.

You know what I learned, I learned that I like stuff, I like to buy and shop so when I got to 16 and things all went pear shaped for the parents financially I got a shock, and when I was at uni and credit was given freely, it didn't matter that I didn't 'have' the money, that was until I had to pay my bills! Lessons were quickly learned that if I wanted to keep my flat and my social life I was gonna have to work hard (3 jobs and over 60 hours a week hard!) I entered my marriage in hefty amounts of debt, Luckily I married a rather sensible financial thinker. But it's still taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice to clear my slate!

You see, when kids get lots then they begin to expect A lot. They get used to getting. They expect to be given things so disappointment comes hard, like not getting that job or mortgage or even before that, when you can't afford £160 for new shoes for them, that's gonna suck big time. Because the memories you are making are memories full of STUFF. We live in a culture of expectation and entitlement of people believing they should get what they want because they want it, not because they've worked hard, and that my friend starts with the excessive gift giving and materialism that parents start. Yes my friends it may feel nice to spoil them rotten but I would bet my last hard earned penny that when your little darling is a 15 year old diva screaming at you for a new iPhone after she broke hers you won't feel so good.

What the heck happened to being as happy as can be with Good Friday Marching and followed by an Easter orange, then some egg decoration, egg rolling and a bit of chocolate for brekkie on Easter Sunday? So I'm not afraid to stand up and say, my kids work for their money, they are expected to help out and take care of their stuff. They earn money for being kind and helpful and they save too they may not like it when they are teenagers but I'm darn sure they'll appreciate having a deposit for a house when the time comes!

 

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