How do you handle unthankful kids or they are not supposed to be thankful to parents?

I believe the root of that problem comes from giving our kids too much! They have so much these days, they can't even play with all the toys they have, and so they mean nothing, when you have everything. It takes the joy and fun right out of receiving gifts.

We think we are doing our kids a favor, but spoiling them is no favor. It ruins their idea of value and gratitude. And then when they get older, they still think they should have everything they want, or they throw a fit. They grow up thinking the world owes it to them to make them happy. Just think how that plays out when they get to be teenagers and adults. What will they do to get their way? It also teaches them to be irresponsible because everything is handed to them. It's our responsibility not to spoil them. Notice they don't appreciate it anyway and then they get to the point where they expect certain things and if they don't get it then the parent wonders why they throw a fit. That's what they were taught. It also takes the fun right out of "hoping" and dreaming of things they want.

I think the biggest and worst mistake parents make today, is to substitute toys, for attention and love. Also, not spending quality time with their children, when they do have time, and I know that's limited, but we can make time, instead of letting the computer babysit our children. Spoiling children is not loving them. They need the guidelines, rules, and boundaries, more than anything. I've raised four.

It is actually boundaries that makes life fun, instead of having everything we want all the time. I believe it takes the joy right out of life for kids. I know when I was a child and my parents were poor and we only got toys once a year on Christmas or our birthday, how joyful a time it was and how thankful, my sister and I, were. We didn't have nor experience parents not being parents, when I was my age. The kids trusted and respected their parents and knew they were loved.

When I was 8 years old I never heard children screaming at the top of their lungs in the toy department, demanding their mom or dad buy them the toy they picked out. Right there, that shows that parents are not doing their job and disciplining their children the way they should. Children should never throw a fit in the store. Mine never did and I know lots of others, whose children didn't. The children had respect for their parents because of their boundaries and they always knew that mom and dad knew best. Oh we asked, but not very often because we were poor and we knew what the answer would be and we didn't want to burden our parents. I was a child and I instinctively knew that. I would only ask one time on very rare occasion and when Mom said no, I didn't question it. I just said "Okay."