I, ME, MY, MINE! A Lesson in Grammar or Lesson in GIVING?

The subject of sharing and fairness is something parents teach children from a very young age, especially when siblings need to learn sharing WITHIN a family. Toys are shared and taking turns becomes a way of life. Battles ensue and we as referees become just as ready as NFL hires to stand our ground as to a "call" we need to make.

I remember, as a child in a household of 9 kids, we just didn't have a lot. I can't remember fighting over much of ANYthing ( well, except for maybe the last cookie or the last of Mom's Ahh-Mazing pies ;)  But we got to share the woods, the fields, the creeks, the sledding hill and other wonders of nature...so really, I felt pretty privileged. Only a few occasions come to mind where my sister and I shared some clothing we had purchased from babysitting or other part time jobs as 'tweens or teens, and fighting over those were NOT mere battles...those were WARS! I think we drew blood with fingernails sometimes! My sister and I shared a room and even a BED until we were 'tweens, so by the time we got to the point of being a teen, we had to fight for our own identity and what was ours. She usually won...she has an endearing smile and heart, but back then, her trademark snarl was pretty intimidating. LOL! (She still shows it in fun and we belly laugh).

With today's entitled generation, I wonder if kids are really learning what we did as kids? Yes, kids need to feel like some of the  world is THEIRS, to have some control and self worth. To feel special. But seriously?

Toddlers rack up hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of goods for holidays and birthdays...or maybe "just because". Just because they were good in church. Just because they tantrum at the store. Just because they are SO damn CUTE!  They become bored and disenchanted with their toys or goodies  within days sometimes and they might end up in next season's donation box or garage sale very quickly. Then they are ready for the next trendy thing, portrayed as a need they can't do without as TV or online ads/commercials hold them in near hypnotic trances.

YOUNG kids  have their own iPods and even iPADS!  Kindles, smart phones  and personal laptops as pre-teens is not surprising anymore. Half a grand on headphones or a speaker system, flat screen TVs bigger than we had a mere decade ago. And some new drivers are often  handed keys to better cars than their PARENTS drive when they graduate to that phase. Clothing costs are outrageous and trends change so quickly that many girls are TRULY trying to Keep up with the Kardashians. Picking an outfit for school can leave a bedroom floor hidden in a matter of minutes. And STILL you might hear, "I don't have Annnyyyything to Wearrrrr todaaaayyyy....waaaah!"

Sweet Sixteen parties and proms are like WEDDINGS now!  The limo, the flowers, the jewels. Designer name labels for  "everyday" teens? It's CrAzy!

And don't EVEN get me started on sport's equipment! A popular "brand name" youth baseball bat can set you back $250. And of COURSE they need to be replaced nearly yearly, as a child grows. Practice clothing  has come down to nifty $50 compression t's  and rainguarded savvy shorts. And Shoes. You know, those things you POUND into the ground and grind into the grass during football and soccer practice? Those things that smell like all get-out after only a week? Those things you need for baseball and football and soccer... OH MY! Then INDOOR soccer, and track PRACTICE shoes and MEET shoes and softball cleats. The shoes bankrupt us, as of course they need to be replaced yearly, and  sometimes even more often. And what can you do?  You CAN hand me down shoes but not sure if our son wanted to wear baby blue or hot pink cleats so much!


I just have to ask where this all comes from?  Is it really kids begging and whining for these goods or is this another competitive "sport" we as parents enlist in  to "keep up with the Jones's"?

In my opinion it is a combination.

Maybe it is we, who may have been the "have-nots" as kids and in  school and feel the need to prove ourselves as providers? Maybe we DID have that silver spoon life and we feel we MUST continue on?   Maybe we feel the need to do so because we live in world of bullying and we don't want to even THINK about our kids not being "in" or  not have the respect or popularity they need to feel confident?  Or maybe we just want to spoil the $hit out of them to make US look good?  Maybe we do compete as if our children are THINGS and the more we give them to show off to the public, it makes  us look more prosperous and prestigious? Bigger? Better?

I feel we are breeding selfish generations. Those who bank on getting,  rather than giving. Parents who would sooner die than give up that  trademark bag or pair of shoes, that 2K golf set or golden gun. The pricey Big Time "look at me toys"  you don't even have time for...the near yachts and 50K SUV's, the RV's and 4-Wheelers, Dirt Bikes and and all the others we need extra garage stalls to store, or line up on a 6 pad driveway for everyone to see. And the inside "play" gaming units, indoor theaters and gadgetry that sends shocks through our electric grids. All this, while maybe your credit cards and banking takes a hit and you really don't OWN a thing...the bank does. And children are learning to live on credit as soon as they hit 18.

Just not so sure that the buying of goods like this has strengthened our economy? Or taught our kids a lesson in self-control?  Are they learning about sharing? Humility? Charity? Empathy or putting others first?  Have WE become an entitled ME generation that is raising the SECOND generation of  I, ME, MY, and MINE's?

Sadly, I think so...