Children Should Be Spoiled with Love, Not Indulgence

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Updated: Aug 03, 2001

Children Should Be Spoiled with Love, Not Indulgence

Attention parents! A Time-CNN poll says your children are probably spoiled. Two-thirds of parents surveyed say they think they spoil their own children far more than children were spoiled 10-15 years ago. Three-fourths of those polled said children have fewer chores than they did in the past.

My view is that too many children get too little time with parents. If they are spoiled, it's because one or both parents are trying to assuage their guilt from a broken home, or too much time at work.

Other surveys indicate too many children think their parents spend too little time with them. Suicide continues as the top killer among teenagers, which ought to tell us something about how many of them think they're spoiled.

Let's spoil our kids with love and guidance. Let's spoil them by staying married and being good parents. Let's spoil them with our time and then, when they are older, they are more likely to rise up and call us blessed and to repeat the pattern by spoiling their own children in similar ways.

Children Should Be Spoiled with Love, Not Indulgence