Gratitude begins where the sense of entitlement ends

As determined as I was to counteract it, my son developed an attitude of entitlement. In our house, the time span between Christmas, Valentine's Day, my son’s birthday and Easter is brutal because as each thoughtful event was cleaned up and the gifts put away I inevitably heard “What’s next?”

So, how did I pull the plug on his demanding attitude and open his eyes to the bigger picture?

I stopped being so generous.

Wait, what?

Yes, I learned the hard way that my generosity was leading to his sense of entitlement. I mistakenly thought that he would appreciate my philosophy that his childhood should be carefree. Instead, he was like the Cookie Monster gobbling up all the indulgences and demanding more. Not surprisingly, he came to see this treatment as a lifestyle rather than the gift it was intended to be. This could not go on.

I instituted three concepts for my children in order to instill in them an attitude of gratitude. See what those three concepts are below.