There’s always this one kid in class that has tons of expensive stuff but still asks their parents for more. You look at them and think “what a spoiled kid”. They like to go around the classroom showing their new expensive pen and act like they’re the most popular kid in class. They demand respect and expect everyone to treat them like royalty.

In reality, they are a stuck up and insecure brat that just needs attention. Being spoiled is bad for obvious reasons. Spoiled kids are rude to others and don’t appreciate what they have.

The “special” kid

In 7th grade, one of my classmates had really wealthy parents. He had everything he wanted and there was no end to his ridiculous demands. There were two topics that he loved to talk about: how great he was and why he was so great. He was obviously spoiled, but it was funny seeing how absurd he could be.

One thing I remember about him is that he loved to play mobile games. However, he was so spoiled that he completely misunderstood the whole point of the game. He would spend tons of money to buy cool skins and emotes in Brawl Stars. The only problem was that skins aren’t as important as skills, and he sucked. He couldn’t kill an enemy if his life depended on it. Anytime he played, all you could see was the revive scene and the death cooldown timer. And the worst part is that he would never admit that he was bad. It was honestly impressive watching such a heavily geared character miss every shot he took. He had the reflexes of a sloth and the skillset of a three year old baby. But at least he looked good while getting destroyed. I mean, why be good when you can pay a few hundred dollars to respawn with style?

No gratitude

Being spoiled when you’re still a kid might not be so bad. You get everything you want and a crowd of toady sycophants to follow you around who pretend to be impressed by you. However, as you grow up, people start distancing themselves from you. They start realizing that you’re not as cool as you seem. Eventually, your “friends” realize you take them for granted and don’t appreciate your relationship. Spoiled kids ignore the time and regard people offer them. Then they end up alone most of the time, hoping their cool clothes and social media profiles can help them make new friends.

The role of the parents

However, the main problem with a spoiled child isn’t the child themselves. Most spoiled kids aren’t bad people, they just had the good luck to grow up with rich parents and not enough guidance to realize how lucky they are.

Buzzfeed has an article about 27 cases of rich kid syndrome. In these stories about crazy things spoiled kids have done, you can tell that some of the kids aren’t even aware of how rich they are. And in other cases, their actions are so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh. One writer says, “I knew a girl whose allowance was $90 a day. She got into trouble so they cut it to $90 a week.”

I mean, children don’t get spoiled without their parents; it’s due to bad parenting skills. Not giving them everything they ask for is a good place to start. Making kids help around the house by doing chores is a basic step and one that helps to address spoiled behavior.

How to stop being spoiled

Sometimes, when I look at spoiled kids, I feel pity for them. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate their guts, but if any one of them cared to ask for advice here’s what I would tell them about how to stop being spoiled and make more friends:

Step 1: Acknowledge that you are spoiled and work on change

One of the most important steps to become less of a jerk is to realize and accept that you were spoiled. After accepting that, you need to change. It doesn’t matter how small, as long as you’re improving your attitude and being appreciative, you can call that improvement. It’s not about becoming a whole new person overnight. It’s about treating others with respect and being kind.

Step 2: Learning gratitude

It’s not that hard to learn gratitude. Start by saying “thank you” more often. And when someone does something for you, show them that you appreciate it. Learning gratitude can help you realize the value of the things you have. You appreciate the time others spend with you, making you more respectful and likeable. People tend to treat you better when you’re being respectful and kind rather than taking everything they do for granted. Learning the value of relationships and having gratitude is what my classmate should do. Maybe if he spent less time buying skins and more time appreciating the mechanics of the game, he would make it past the tutorial level.

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Spoiled children are jerks and they are annoying to be around. However, people can take action to help them become better. At the end of the day, spoiled kids aren’t doomed. All they need is a reality check and to realize that being grateful and kind makes you cooler than any gold skin in a mobile game ever can.