Counselling aging adults has been a revelatory experience. As parents, their love has been unconditional, and they’ve strived to give their children the best life possible. However, in their eagerness to provide, they often overindulge, giving their children what took a lifetime to achieve. This can lead to children losing gratitude and appreciation for the value of hard work.
Ironically, parents hope that their generosity will foster humility and thankfulness in their children. Instead, many children have come to expect and demand more, resorting to emotional blackmail and showing no gratitude. Today’s affluent generation is quick to disappointment and relies heavily on their aging parents for emotional and financial support.
Sadly, this phenomenon often goes unacknowledged in society, as parents conceal it beneath a veneer of love. It’s a stark contrast to the generation that toiled to save every penny, only to struggle emotionally to keep pace with the new generation’s art of entitlement.