8 signs your child could be spoiled

Oh children. You love them no matter what. You would move heaven and earth for them. You want to stare at them all the time (or maybe just whilst they’re asleep). But sometimes, just sometimes, they can stray from being a perfect angel and show a side you aren’t used to.

Here are 8 signs to look out for that could indicate your child is spoiled:

1) Do you find yourself begging your child?

We’ve all been there….‘Please put your shoes away’, ‘please can you put your breakfast bowl in the kitchen’, ‘for the last time, PLEASE can you put some pants on!’. Parents tend to have to ask children more than once, though if it’s getting to the stage where you have to ask EVERYTHING several times, then it could be time for a new strategy.

2) Does your child always want something more?

How often do you hear “I want that toy” when your little one already has their favourite toy. Sometimes kids just want more and find it difficult to be happy with what they already have.

3) Are you often embarrassed in public by your child?

Yes toddlers throw tantrums, yes they’re temperamental and you don’t quite know which way they’re going to turn, though is it so regular you could set your clock by it?

4) Does your child help to clean up around the house?

Let’s face it, there aren’t many out there who LOVE to clean up, though we all know it’s a chore and it generally falls to the parents to do the majority. Will your child help out when you ask them to? We aren’t talking about scrubbing showers here, just general tidying up – packing away toys, putting their clothes in the dirty clothes basket, putting their shoes away. If they flat out refuse to help, then it might be time to reassess the chore list!

5) Can your child play alone?

How many times do you hear “mummy please play with me or can my friend come over to play?” Once your child is 4 years old they should be able to play on their own. If she is constantly asking you to play with her or needing other kids to play with her then it could be her way of seeking attention.

6) Is your child a sharer?

“Please share with your sister…” Is this saying like a broken record in your house? It can be tricky for kids to understand the concept of sharing however by age 4 they should start to be more willing to share.

7) Do you have to bribe your child?

I must admit I’ve been known to try and bribe my kids to get them to clean up their room. Starting at an early age with simple tasks such as putting away your toys can help them understand these are just everyday tasks that we have to do and should help put a stop the bribes.

8) Is your child ignoring you?

I think we can all agree it’s frustrating when our kids ignore us. Younger kids especially don’t like to hear you say “no” and can do the complete opposite to what you have asked them. Without bribing them it’s important to help them understand from a young age that they should listen to you.

Have you got any suggestions to help anyone with a spoiled child? Please SHARE your comments with us.

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40 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 03 May 2022
    12:09 pm
Nope my kids were not spoiled. I am pleased to say they were good kids and now as adults I am very proud of how they each turned out.

- - mom81879 said
  - 18 Nov 2015
    1:59 pm
Happy to report, going by this list, my kids are not spoilt. And they’ll agree, they’ll happily tell you how they get nothing….EVER!

- - dannsbuild said
  - 16 Sep 2015
    3:00 pm
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!

- - mom71809 said
  - 03 Aug 2015
    10:59 pm
Not being able to play alone could be a sign of loneliness and inability to make friends, I can’t see how itbrelates to being spoilt?

- - mom94378 said
  - 03 Aug 2015
    9:53 pm
i often wonder if i spoil my kids. Its kinda relative and hard to answer but i think perhaps i do. it is hard not to tho.

- - MegMah88 said
  - 29 Jul 2015
    9:20 pm
Every time my friend toes grocery shopping she makes a point of spending $50 on a toy for her son. To me that is ludicrous. She allows him to browse a catalogue and choose something. He doesn’t like sharing with other children and he has bitten my child before because he did not want to share. Spoiled much!?

- - tinakraja said
  - 18 Jul 2015
    11:09 am
I think my Daughter is Half and half oops, each day is different.

- - purplehaze said
  - 08 Jul 2015
    5:55 pm
I think most kids do these things, especially at different ages and stages. If that meant they were spoilt, then 99% of children would be spoilt. I believe spoiling children means giving them everything they want and letting them get away with things they shouldn’t be doing.

- - mom107723 said
  - 01 Jul 2015
    11:01 pm
Being a single mum of 3, i spoiled my kids with home life security, it took them a lot longer than it took me to move out and organise their lives, but i secretly loved having them around.

- - deb_gs said
  - 26 Jun 2015
    4:50 am
Obviously it depends on the age of the child. Some of these points apply to every child, whether they are spoilt or not. But in the end, it is up to us parents not to spoil them. The child is not going to change their behaviour unless the parent instills a different behaviour. Children have an uncanny knack for knowing when they are on a good wicket.

- - maryphilip said
  - 17 Jun 2015
    2:19 pm
It depend on the age of the child, I would think.

- - rovermum said
  - 10 Jun 2015
    2:19 pm
I am guilty of having a spoiled child. He is an only child, so he is used to being the centre of attention at home and within the wider family. We teach him to share as he doesn’t have that experience with siblings. I definitely believe if we’d had more children, he would not have been as spoiled. It’s just the way it is. He is also a loving, caring child but it does shock me at times that he wants more. Having said that, he doesn’t know any different. We do remind him how lucky he is, and he witnesses it when with other families. I think he appreciates it, but we also work on teaching him to think about others, to manage money, etc.

- - bedda1 said
  - 10 Jun 2015
    1:24 pm
Oh wow! Mine do quite a few of these things.

- - ralu said
  - 09 Jun 2015
    9:28 pm
Mine shows a couple of the signs , so only a bit …. maybe more ….

- - ella12 said
  - 09 Jun 2015
    12:21 pm
In this instance sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind.

- - mom127676 said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    8:15 pm
Good article, some points to look out for when my little miss gets older.

- - Erahh said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    5:16 pm
yeah as my children are quite young i don think this applies, maybe you should specify ages in the future to stop certain mothers worrying about things they dont need to.

- - mom63229 said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    4:37 pm
Mine show half the signs.. but they are the usual younger kid things. Maybe I have spoiled children :/

- - aliceou said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    3:34 pm
My son has two of these signs .

- - june11 said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    3:09 pm
My Mum worked on a theory. We knew right from wrong and what was expected of us – behaviour and chores. It was explained to us why behaviours weren’t allowed….and we were shown how to do the chores, not just told to do them. I am afraid that not showing children to do the chores is a big oversight. I have witnessed it so many times.
Mum always said it was better for us to be a bit naughty home where we could be “corrected” rather than when out in public or visiting. When we were old enough to comprehend we were doing something wrong my Mum would often just discreetly “catch our attention”, then frown at us. She didn’t yell at us and “make as scene”.