by Kevin Lamb

Created on: January 21, 2009   Last Updated: February 02, 2009

It's very easy to spoil an only child. In fact, it's even easy to spoil several children. Spoiling or overprotecting an only child in today's society is an act which is sometimes overlooked. Parents try to provide the best for their children, but sometimes their "best" can turn out to be the worst for the child.

Some parents keep a constant guard over an only child; protecting the child from "any" situation. Any time the child cries, the parents appear at once immediately fixing the situation for the child. Children learn quickly from a very early age just which emotion to use, to get exactly what they want. Now they're in control. They cry or complain about something and we jump.

In some cases the only child turns out to be a reflection of their parents. Although, some of the parental choices which are made (in an only child situation) can help change this mirror image of us into something quite different. Most parents strive to do the very best for their only creation, but sometimes their only creation turns out to be a brat.

All of our attention, emotions and time is spent on the child, trying to provide the young child with a good self image. But, when too much self image is given to the child, a sense of superiority becomes instilled into the child. In some cases this higher "self image" is not noticed until it's almost too late.

This elevated self image of our child is then noticed: with their friends, at school, and then usually at home. By now a growing narcissist attitude is beginning to form into the child's personality, and now the parents are left wondering what went wrong.

Without any siblings the only child can sometimes lose it's sense of sharing. The only child is the number one focus of it's parent's attention, with everything in the household being centered directly around it. Now, you have a young child growing up not only feeling better than others, but also feeling that everything revolves directly around them. Sometimes these children also lose their sense of compassion towards others as they've grown accustomed to being the center of attention.

As the child grows up with this attitude they believe that everything should be handed to them. They soon get the feeling that society owes them something. This child's emotions are now ruled by "their" desires and needs; not the needs of others.

After the child has been given everything, they now expect all of their desires to be filled when they want it, not when the parents believe it's needed. The

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