Kids who don't have responsibilities...

[kuhio98]

I saw a psychiatrist once on Oprah (I think). She said that people are often surprised to hear that she has very few patients who complained of having an awful childhood because they were poor and didn't have "things". The majority of her patients were people who had lots of stuff, things and toys. But no parental guidance. No one to tell them no. No one to teach them how to be accountable for their own actions. No one who loved them enough to stand by and watch them fail at something. So that they could learn how to pick themselves up and try again.

[Giselle]

Now this is interesting because I am one of these kids without responsibilities. Yep, I'm saying it loud and clear. However, I believe the majority of you are disappointed in "children" who lack maturity, not necessarily the material possessions. Allow me to explain...

I don't have many responsibilities besides taking care of the animals and schoolwork. Besides, if I cannot/do not fulfill my duties on any given day, my mother willingly picks up the slack. However, I consider myself a rather precocious kid and I understand that these luxuries will eventually fade. As the child of two immigrants, I know what labor is. I know what poverty is. I know that these luxuries will fade the minute I step out the door to attend college. So should I be envied/disliked because I don't handwash the dishes or do the laundry or sweep the floor? Should I be considered spoiled because my parents do not ask me to do daily chores?

I don't think so. My parents have a very uncommon method of raising their children: Until I attend college, school should be the ONLY concern in my life. Thus, maintaining high grades and performing community service are my only responsibilities. As long as I bring home good grades and keep my mind on college, my parents pay for everything and execute all the household chores. However, I don't believe this makes me spoiled. On the contrary, I have as much/more responsibilites than many other children with mundane chores like cleaning their room. Though my tasks are more abstract than physical chores, I don't believe I am spoiled and I certainly don't complain about having a "tough" life. I am mature enough to realize all the labor that one must undergo to earn a meager paycheck. You simply cannot judge a child because he or she happens to have the fortune of wealth and doting parents It is not material possesssions that you people are peeved at. It is the child's maturity, or lack thereof, that creates so much annoyance. And if we are talking about maturity, you cannot blame children without responsibilities for the source of so much naïvete. Maturity is not something that can be driven into a person simply through the acquirement of a job.

I don't believe it is necessary to brand all kids irresponsible if they are not given physical/monetary jobs. I must agree with PCB with the belief that everyone has unique responsibilities. It is not fair to label all children without chores as irresponsible complainers.

I have a job. My job is to land myself at an EXCELLENT college and secure myself a strong future. My job is not to attend school but to understand it and EXCELL at it. In some respects, I must admit that my job is every bit as hard as any adult's.

Just a "spoiled" kid's opinion

[Kfamr]

Please show me where anyone in this thread labeled all children without chores as irresponsible complainers. I think both you and PCB read far too much into what I said and missed my point.

The kids I am talking about do not go to school, do not have chores, do not have monetary jobs. They smooch off of their parents and then complain if they don't get what they want, when they want it, or how they want it.

As I said, if they are going to school and excelling just find - that wouldn't be a problem. But, as long as they are out of school I believe they should have a job of some sort - wether it be around the house or in a workplace.
The way a majority of them live isn't building anything for their future.

[caseysmom]

I think it is more the attitude of the kids that people find annoying and you definetely have a good attitude giselle.

I met you and never thought of you as spoiled. I feel the same my daughter takes honors classes, sports and does community service. That is her main concentration, I am fine with that. My other daughter lets her grades slack, is a slob and has an attitude...I don't like that.