Growing up, my father often said "no" to many of my requests. As a kid, I was naïve enough to think, "He doesn’t love me, maybe he even hates me" simply because I heard "no" so often.
But as I got older, I began to understand why he said no, even when it would’ve been easier to say yes. He was raising me to be tough and resilient, teaching me that I had to earn what I wanted, rather than have it handed to me.
My father taught me the value of money from a young age by not giving me much of it. Back then, I thought, "He’s just being stingy." But as I grew older, I saw how people my age, who had been given too much, were spoiled. I realized what a crucial life lesson this was—because I was the first among my peers to get a job and make my own money.
The problem with children who are given everything they ask for is that they develop a sense of entitlement. They grow up thinking life will hand them whatever they want, just as their parents did.
Spoiled children often struggle with self-evaluation. They overrate their abilities—whether it's their performance, intelligence, or skills—because of the entitlement they’ve been taught.
If you want to set your child up for failure, give them everything they ask for. Let them waste money. Allow them to believe there’s an endless supply of resources without effort. They’ll grow up expecting the same from life.
Give them everything they want, and they’ll face huge disappointment the moment they try to achieve something meaningful. They’ll become quitters because hard work isn't a concept they’re familiar with. They’ll remain dependent on you because they never learned how to earn what they want—they only learned how to ask for it.
I hope this was helpful, and I wish you nothing but the best.