Toddlers breaking into hysterics on the corridor of Toys ‘R’ Us because they want the latest Transformer toy, maids carrying multiple heavy school bags while the primary schooler skips along beside her, and six-year-olds toting the latest gadgets. These are the scenarios many of us witness on a daily basis and question whether Singaporean kids are spoilt.
Are Singaporean kids spoilt?
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This polarising topic about Singaporean kids being spoilt is one that has generated much interest, especially when one brings up topics such as the recent haze or even National Service. If we were to compare the kids today to that of our parents’ generation then the answer to this ‘spoilt’ tag is a resounding yes.
A nation full of princes and princesses
The current generation of youth and kids have been branded with the less than complimentary term of princes and princesses. You just need to look at the way maids are trailing in the wake of their charges some as old as 18, carrying their bag, file, water bottle, etc., to glimpse how spoilt Singaporean kids are these days. The picture of a maid carrying the bag of a NS serviceman that went viral a couple years back is a classic example of how ‘soft’ Singaporean youth has become and how being spoiled silly by your parents is not always a good thing.
Who’s to blame?
Being known as the nation of complainers, it is inevitable that we ask who is to blame for our Singaporean kids being spoilt. Unfortunately, the blame is squarely on the shoulders of over-protective and molly coddling parents, a norm in this day and age. We probably need to ask ourselves, is all the protecting our child from harm and hardship actually doing them more good than harm?
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Do you feel that Singaporean kids are spoilt? Share with us your thoughts about it below and check out this parody of the NS serviceman who got his maid to carry his backpack for him: