When most people think of spoiled children, they think of Veruca Salt or Regina George. They think of stuck up brats who domineer their parents, drive fancy cars, and never make anything of themselves because they're used to relying on daddy's money. But I am a spoiled child myself, and I think we are gravely misunderstood.
I'm not the glamorous kind of spoiled. I'm more of the low-key kind of spoiled, and I'm sure there are many more like me. You see, it's not that my parents are rich. It's just that most of the money they have, they give to me. I may be driving a Hyundai, but you'd better believe I did not pay a penny for that Hyundai, or for any of its upkeep, or for gas, or for insurance. Meanwhile, my younger brother is paying for all of that and more for his car. Why the unfairness, you ask? I'm not exactly sure, but I think it may be due to a combination of my gender, my grades, and me being the favorite child.
I don't ask for money too often, but when I do, the answer is almost always yes. If it's no, I've found that it's usually because my parents actually don't have the money to give me. I may have a Coach purse and a Michael Kors watch, but I also buy clothes from Tilly's. I even bought a backpack from Walmart last year because I was feeling extra frugal. There have been plenty of times when my parents swore they were going to stop giving me money so liberally, but I'm not quite sure what ever happened to those promises, because here they are today paying my sorority dues, buying my textbooks, and occasionally providing concert money. My mom has nicknamed me "expensive child," and it is a title I sport proudly.
I think a common misconception about spoiled children is that they don't work. And while that was true for me throughout high school, once I got to college, I knew it was time to step it up. I now work about fourteen hours a week, and I feel stupendously independent, even though in reality, all that money either gets put into savings or spent on food. Another misconception is that spoiled children are ungrateful toward their parents. I, however, am immensely grateful. I just might forget to show it from time to time.
I don't think that spoiling equals bad parenting. Sure, I might not know much about money management, but that's what finance books and husbands are for. Ultimately, I think my parents are just generous with their money because they want me to have a prosperous life. They haven't raised me to be stuck up, lazy or ludicrously high maintenance. They've only raised me to be humble, ambitious, easy-going and just a wee bit spoiled.
