I Won't, I Won't, I Won't... Raise a Spoiled Brat!

One stereotype of an only child is that he/she is spoiled. In some cases, yes that is true. In my second year of teaching, my class contained mainly only children. The problem with that was many of them had a problem when I told them, "No." That class was a major turning point in my decision to have more than one child. I wish I had known at the time that the child behaves as a result of how the parent interacts with their child. It is very difficult to have only one child and not give them anything they want. After all, he/she is your only child. There is a huge difference between being spoiled and being a spoiled brat. Brodie is spoiled, in that he gets a great deal of what he wants. For birthdays and Christmas, he gets pretty much what he asks for. But, when it comes to being a spoiled brat... that he is not!!! I'm surprised Brodie's first word wasn't "No." He has boundaries with us as parents, and we discipline home when he crosses that line. At the beginning of this school year, Brodie wasn't performing at his level. His French teacher talked to me, and she said that Brodie was messing around in class. Scot and I took away his TV, wii, iPod, and anything electronic. Let me tell you, Brodie made a complete turn-around. We haven't had a problem since. You're probably thinking, "Wow, that's harsh. Just for one little problem." Well, we can handle things in school that Brodie has no control over, but messing around in class I don't tolerate. As a teacher, I can deal with not understanding material, but when students don't even make an attempt to do the work or mess around in class, that is unacceptable. So, when my child messes around in class, I'm not a very happy parent. Scot and I have been able to do the best we can to find the right balance in raising a healthy, yet spoiled child. ;)

Brodie at Shaver Lake 2013