Aren't They All Spoiled

I just saw a post trying to draw parents to read it with the savvy
title "How to Raise Unspoiled Kids". It made me think. In this day of
instant everything, I don't think we can raise unspoiled children.
Our children have the ability to get almost everything instantly.
Microwaved food, Velcro shoes, AIM, and google make everything from
food to facts available in the blink of an eye. My basic idea of a
spoiled child is one who cries out and demands things when they want
them and how they want them. Now days our children are like silent
brats who never have to throw a tantrum because they have a permanent
pacifier in their mouths. You no longer have to wait an hour for
dinner to be ready, or three days for a letter in the mail, or struggle
through mastering those tricky laces, or make that trip to the library
to research a topic.
As parents we now have to consciously teach our children patience and
delayed gratification. Nothing in our American pop-culture teaches
patience, dedication or determination. Our children are taught to
have fleeting interest, short attention spans, and to demand instant
rewards: our children are being spoiled. We have to find ways to slow
down their instant lives and let them know not all things come to us
easily, some things require more time and energy. However, It is our
job, not to pretend like this fast paced world doesn't exist. We need
to teach them how to appreciate what they have and those that made
their lives easy. Most importantly we have to teach them that the
responsibly to help make the lives of others easier is now theirs.
You don't strip an heir of his millions, you teach him how to use them.