Are we doing our kids an injustice?!?!?

[Harambe]

I read an earlier post today by a mom wanting advice on which park she would probably use more during her trip to WDW. She said her kids "bore easily" and worried that AK and Epcot would not be to their liking.

At times I am dumbfounded when I hear these comments. Are we raising nothing but thrill seekers, who have to be constantly "upgraded" to bigger and bigger things? We go to WDW every other year, and our kids more or less expect that. Is is wrong?

Jeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzz! Our parents only occassionally took us to the drive-in, or camping, or to a restaurant. Anything we got to do was a big deal!

What ever happened to sloshing around in a lake with a bucket, catching frogs?

Anyone else worry about spoiling our kids?

 

[Pin Wizard]

I've been thinking about how birthday parties get out of hand. DS has a friend whose parents rented a limo for them last year (9th birthday) to take them to a baseball game or something.

 

[MegaDisney]

Yes, I think that some kids definately are spoiled. I remember reading on the Resorts Board one day where someone posted that their child REFUSED to stay at the Grand Floridian. I couldn't believe it . As a child I realized how lucky I was to even go to WDW, and I remember wistfully traveling through the Contemporary and thinking how lucky the people were to stay there. Even so, I was glad to be there, and to be staying off-site at a campground at that!!

Some children certainly are spoiled. They were when I was growing up, and they will continue to be. However, the expectations are set by the parents, and that's where it all begins.

Just my 2 cents.

Meg

 

[Terry Sheehan]

I do not have my own children, but I have long thought that today's children are easily bored, with no imaginations, and must be constantly entertained. Perhaps it is since the advent of computers, or maybe it's because 2 parent working households feel guilty(which they shouldn't!!)and therefore spoil their children more, or maybe it's because we are becoming more and more of the mindset to "keep up with the Joneses"...I am not sure, but I see a huge lack of imagination, a huge lack of the ability to stick to a project, even if the goign becomes a little difficult.

Sad, really...I can remember being a kid and making up all kinds of games with my Barbies ,playing in the woods near my house with my brother and neighborhood kids etc...having all sorts of imagination. Now it seems that if stuff isn't spoon fed to kids, they can't think of it themselves.

 

[Megan's Mom]

yes I love to tell the kids at school about how we didn't have cable TV or vcr's. My dad thought I was the remote for the TV. A remote was just a waste and made you lazy. They think I lived in the dark ages and was deprived. My Barbie's car was a tissue box. And there wasn't every kind of Barbie under the sun only blond or dark hair. Those were the days. We sound like our parents!

 

[Harambe]

Well, you've all made me feel somewhat better. I think this year, I am going to give my kids Disney Dollars for Christmas, and then they can buy their own souvenier (we usually buy them each a tee shirt, and then they get to pick one nice souvenier).

I was worried that you all would say that maybe the kids shouldn't go to WDW so much. So I would have to find a babysitter for a whole week . . .

 

[WDWLVR]

We don't have kids and maybe its a good thing because they would be outcasts in their schools by not being spoiled. While waiting for the boat from MGM to Boardwalk last year we had a couple with two children in front of us. The little boy was about 7 and kept picking on his baby sister. The dad got really mad and finally screamed at him "That's it when we get home I'm taking away YOUR TV, Computer, and playstation out of your room for a week"! Growing up we had one tv and we didn't get to pick what we watched, that was left to my Mother and Grandmother. I honestly believe we are raising a society of spoiled brats and I see it at work every day.

 

[disykat]

Yes!!!

 

[Claudia1]

Its not just kids. I'm on the worship committee at church and we were lamenting that my in our congregation want to be constantly entertained. The goal of worship is to worship God; not to sit there and be bombarded with stimuli.

 

[Christine]

Stepping up on my soapbox....

Yes, we are raising children that constantly need to be entertained to get through anything. I'm not sure that computers are the evil, but TVs definitely are. Way back when I was a child, I think there was ONE show on that I watched (preschool). It was Capt. Kangaroo and it was very low key. All in all, I probably didn't watch much TV until I was a pre-teen and then it was the 70s and TV was getting bigger and bigger. By then, though, I had learned to entertain myself. Yep, my Barbie's car was a tissue box too, and I had to make my own house for her! We also played outside a lot and had to come up with our own games. Through no fault of their own, our kids cannot roam free all day. My first trip to DisneyWorld was when I was 12 and I stayed at the Contemporary. I was just "wowed" beyond belief and I've never forgotten that trip. I don't think my kids get "wowed" like that. I think because of children's TV programming, kids have come to expect a higher level of stimulation in the classroom, at church, parties, etc. Sometimes when I walk into my kids elementary school I'm just amazed at how "stimulating" the classroom is. There are so many bright pictures on the wall, things hanging, I mean, I just don't think *I* could concentrate in that atmosphere. Not that my old classrooms were bare bones, but geesh, there's not a space clean on the wall in ANY of these classrooms. The kids are plain overstimulated and overindulged.

 

[laceemouse]

I worry about my kids being spoiled a lot too. My husband says when he was a kid eating out was a special occassion and ours expect it all the time! We live in a pretty affluent area and MY kids feel poor, others go to Mexico, the Bahamas, Hawaii or Australia for spring break every year!! I can't even imagine! And don't get me started on the birthday party thing! At least my kids don't think Epcot or AK are too slow and boring for them!

 

[CathyCanada]

I think sometimes people don't look to see what really IS available at the parks. If they did, they would see that Innoventions East has some great hands-on stuff for kids and the KidCot activities around the world are terrific for kids. Then there are the water fountains (not the kind you drink from ) that I saw LOTS of kids splashing around in last week. It's a shame, really, they don't know what they are missing.
CC

 

[mum4jenn]

I see the spoiled rotten kids everyday at work.(or at least during the school year) I work in a Middle school lunchroom and the things these kids say and do just kills me. I could go on and on but I won't.

My own dd is spoiled to a degree but at the same time she does not ask for alot and when she does she asks if we have any extra money to buy her such and such. Sometimes we might not have the extra money right then but if it is something she really wants or needs then we get it when we can. What I really love about her is that at 5 years old she is always so appreciative of what we do give her. Yes,she does love watching videos(Disney)in her room and she does have a TV in her room. The TV is about 20 years old and the remote does not work but she appreciates it anyway!! A couple of months ago she wanted a movie so badly and we just did not have the extra money for it so she took her piggy bank and dumped it out and started counting the pennies to see if she had the money for it.(she does not have an allowance yet...she just gets extra change on occasion(mostly pennies). She had enough for about half the cost and When she told me how many pennies and dimes ets she had and wanted to know if that was enough...tears steamed down my face!! We finished out with enough to buy that movie!!!

I AM proud that dd has a VIVID imagination and plays by herself all the time and I am amazed at some of the creative things she comes up with.

SO... I guess all is not lost on my own dd and my dh and I work hard to make sure her life is balanced. She LOVES to go camping and actually prefers that to staying in a hotel!!


But I guess I have gotten off topic a bit!!!

Yes it IS a shame to see and hear what some of the kids and teens do and say. It just makes me sick to listen to them at times.I hope that one day soon these parents wake up and start making some changes.

 

[Harambe]

I so agree with the TV being behind a lot of the "I want's". My kids are not allowed to watch TV or do video games during the week. They can go on the computer if they need to for school.

DD loves this rule because she loves to draw, read books, or just head out to the yard, but DS is pathetic! Still asks every Thursday if he can watch a show beause "it's almost the weekend!". If he gets a toy, he stares at the packaging to decide which one of the collection he will get next, rather than even play with the toy!

I have actually cried over this, because I don't know how to "unspoil" my son. He's only 8. I've signed him up for charity walks, we've collected food for our local food pantry, and he's picked out toys to put in the Toys for Tots. He does have a big heart and is caring, but he still always thinks of what DH and I can do for him - or give him.

This year I am going to teach his CCD class - maybe I can make a dent there!

Thanks for listening!

 

[BethR]

Originally posted by Harambe

I was worried that you all would say that maybe the kids shouldn't go to WDW so much. So I would have to find a babysitter for a whole week . . .

Goodness Harambe! You really made me LOL there!

(And yes, I agree that our children definately expect TOO much! )

 

[momsal]

YES YES YES !!!!!
Kids are spoiled!!!

They are not used to having to use their imagination!!

I have gotton to the point with my Grandchildren that I hate to buy anything that takes batteries!!! Most of the toys today do all the playing for them all they can do is watch them!!

I bought both of my GD's a baby doll that does NOTHING!!!
They are stuffed dolls that wear newborn size clothes then i went to yard sales and bought alot of baby clothes for them THEY LOVE THEM!!! They take them for walks and dress and undress them. They go everywhere with them!!

WE need to say NO alot more to our kids!!!!!

 

[wendym]

Just to give you another view. I was looking after my 2 year old great neice yesterday and she was amazing. She took the washing basket and a fly swatter and sat in it and started to row and rock the basket while singing "Row, row the boat gently down the stream." We made chocolate crispies together - she counted out the paper cases, mixed the crispies and chocolate and counted the mini eggs to add to them. She made up stories with our disney beanies and then sang the ABC song.
We were totally exhausted but she had a ball.
Wendy