Continuing in our series to stop the self-entitled mentality: New Year’s Resolutions for Kids., we arrive at Resolution 4.
4) I do not deserve to cut the line at the front when I am late because I am wonderful, my parents tell me that. Yes, your child is wonderful but you need to teach your child to respect others. Some parents encourage grab all you can get and encourage anything from cutting in line to cheating to get ahead.
One mom had so little respect for others that she demanded that her teen daughter cut the 12 person long Starbucks line because “This is beautiful girl is my daughter and she is late for high school. So we are going in front so she can get her venti triple caramel latte with a mint twist.” No she isn’t. What was that mother thinking. That twelve people who were late for work and school were going to bow in reverence and allow her daughter avoid the line because she was late for high school. Late means you skip the coffee.
And next year, when the girl goes to college next year, who is paying for the daily $5 coffee? Her roommates will not appreciate her cutting to the front of lines. And mommy won’t be there to do the dirty work for her. Starbucks’ employees were so shocked that she tried this stunt that they came over and apologized to us individually. It wasn’t their fault.
Being a protective mom supporting her child does not mean “My child matters more than others.” I have been waiting in line for an autograph for Snow White, to have parents walk straight to the front of the line so their child doesn’t have to wait. The parents will knock over little children to make their child’s dream come true. Self-entitled parents create self-entitled children.
For more information on building realistic self-esteem and conquering the self-entitled mentality, check out Parent Cue Cards sets for Chores, Kindergarten Essentials, etc at Amazon. And I am featured in the upcoming issues of PARENTING magazine (March 2012) about the positives and negatives of being a helicopter parent.
“Mommy, what was your New Year’s Resolution?” Kids want to know what parents are trying to solve for the New Year. They will help us parents with our resolutions but do your children have any resolutions of their own, besides doing homework and whining less?
These are great resolutions but tackling the self-esteem mentality will set your children up for life as much as tackling the homework.
It starts with the child who expects a reward for every trip to the grocery store then extends to an iPhone as a reward for the ordinary book report and ends with college graduates refusing to take an entry level job, expecting to start as a manager or executive.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christie Barnes, author of THE PARANOID PARENTS GUIDE, is the mother of triplet 9-yr-olds plus a tween daughter. She is the founder of Paranoid Parents, dedicated to stop parents worrying about the wrong things. Her blog, website, Paranoid Parents Anonymous club, and a dozen successful mini-books are helping parents with a “parent worry” extreme make-over and helping kids with a “self-esteem” make-over. http://www.paranoidparentsguide.com
Barnes is featured in the upcoming March 2012 Parenting Magazine (both editions). She has appeared recently on ABC News Now. Good Morning America parenting expert Annie Pleshette Murphy said “I love this smart book.” This book was featured in the Sunday New York Times; was the ‘hit’ of NPR, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times and radio and television across the country.
CBarnes 
This is Resolution Three of our series to stop the self-entitled mentality: Resolution for Kids.
“Mommy, what was your New Year’s Resolution?” Kids want to know what parents are trying to solve for the New Year. They will help us parents with our resolutions but do your children have any resolutions of their own, besides doing homework and whining less? 
