A WORD I’LL NEVER USE WITH MY DAUGHTER…

My daughter will be a month old on December 10th. Although new to motherhood, there’s something I thought about the other day that has really stuck with me…

We throw around the word “spoiled” way too much when it comes to children. We call them spoiled when they receive gifts from family and friends, and even when they’re picked up “too often” when crying or fussy.

Now that I have a child of my own, calling her spoiled just doesn’t feel right to me. In my opinion, the better term is LOVED.

So, I’m changing the narrative for my baby girl. When she receives gifts, she’s so LOVED. When she is held all the time, I’m not spoiling her, she is SAFE and LOVED.

Using the term “spoiled” sounds like another term for undeserving. It’s instilling in children that it’s a bad thing that they receive gifts and attention from their parents, family and friends, or that it’s not normal. Unfortunately for some kids, it isn’t the norm or how they grow up to receive love, gifts and attention from their parents/family. That’s why saying spoiled is that much more harmful. Kids SHOULD grow up feeling wanted and important in whatever way you feel the way to express it, whether it be with gifts, quality time, saying yes to dessert before dinner, etc. A healthy balance of all of those things is crucial in developing happy people who are secure in themselves because they never had to question the love they receive throughout life.