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I’ll never forget a playdate my daughter had at a friend’s house when she was in the first grade. At the end of the playdate, as we were saying goodbye, the other little girl was holding a container filled with plastic beads. Her mom suggested she share some with my daughter. “No!” the little girl said. The mother gently pleaded, “Oh, come on sweetheart, share some of your beads.” The little girl again replied, “No!”

At that point, I stepped in and said it was OK, that we didn’t need any of the beads. That could’ve been an isolated incident, and maybe the mom didn’t want to get too firm because she didn’t want to embarrass her child. We’ve all been there! But we don’t want to make a habit of letting that happen because it could lead to spoiled kids. And while spoiled might sound like an old-fashioned word, it really just means children who feel entitled to get what they want when they want it, even if it means being disrespectful and disobedient. If you want to avoid having spoiled kids, then stay away from these 7 habits.

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