“Rich Child Syndrome “: An Educational Mindset
The rich child syndrome is also known as “flu”. However, it does not refer only to the children of wealthy parents.
It’s about giving children everything they ask for, without requiring them to do anything about it. It is a situation that normally occurs in high-income families.
However, it is a pattern that can also be encountered in middle-class families, where parents try (very often unknowingly) to meet their children’s physical and mental needs with material things.
Where does “rich child syndrome” come from?
Although psychiatric associations do not consider rich child syndrome as an official clinical diagnosis, people began to use that term in the 1990s.
It first appeared in a book called The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence. The use of the term “flu” then began whenever reference was made to this behavior.
In the book, the author talks about how protected children from rich families often behave irresponsibly and lack empathy. Both are direct results of over-protecting children, over-protecting them and compensating for lack of time with gifts and money.
Do we ourselves cause rich child syndrome for our children?
You don’t have to have a lot of money to suffer from this syndrome. In fact, cases of influenza are becoming more common in children and adolescents from middle-class families.
Parents who do not dedicate time to raising their children, whether due to their work responsibilities or other reasons, end up giving them gifts to fill that gap.
If you want your children to calm down or prevent tantrums, you may end up giving them something materialistic. Unfortunately, however, this encourages the emergence of this syndrome. Also, if you give them a reward for everything they do or for good behavior, it can have a similar negative effect.
Another way you might contribute to a rich child’s syndrome is to buy expensive gifts for them for no particular reason or to sacrifice family needs to buy something special for the children.
Such attitudes are a danger to the mental and physical health of children.
What effect can this syndrome have on children?
- The children most affected develop low self-esteem and lose motivation.
- Children become unable to tolerate frustration because they believe they deserve everything.
- They do not face their own problems. The children believe that mom and dad will always solve them.
- Their strength makes them irresponsible and they lack discipline.
- They show high levels of stress and anxiety when they fail in school, for example in exams.
- It is difficult for children to maintain harmonious relationships with their classmates.
- They become nervous and annoyed by annoying things and for that reason they become very unhappy.
- Children often engage in harmful behaviors such as alcohol or drug use.
Can we stop it?
The most important thing of all is to understand the effort the parents themselves make to maintain the best possible lifestyle for the family.
Children should also know that to get things you have to go to work and sometimes you have to work very hard. At the same time, we should teach them that in order to enjoy those things, we need to learn how to save.
Children should understand that they need to be responsible and that it doesn’t always have to lead to a reward. We need to teach them to cover the table, take out the trash, and organize and clean their rooms. These activities will reinforce their values.
Parents also need to get their children in touch with the real world. They should learn how to appreciate what they have and how to respect others.
Being strict with children is also an act of love. By doing so, parents can help children grow up with the right ethics and emotions. You also show love by setting boundaries for them. They have to work hard to get what they want.
Frustration is also part of learning, and it is essential to learn to deal with it. By teaching them it, you promote their mental and psychological development, which helps them grow into happy adults.
