What are the biggest parenting mistakes today?

What, in your opinion, seem to be trends in bad parenting decisions today? :)What are the biggest parenting mistakes today?
spoiling them, giving in to every little whim....





my goddaughter is so spoilt its unbelievable, shes 8, shes already had 4 phones (all on contract!!!!) shes has xbox360, playstation 3, psp, wii, ds lite, iphone, ipod and a 40'; l.c.d tv in her room (that her mother RENTS she doesn't even own it!!!!!!!) she used to be a sweetie but shes becoming such a brat its really hard to spend time with her, and the way she speaks to her mother is appalling, if she ever spoke to me like that she'd be nursing a smacked ****. ive actually had to tell her off in front of her mother for the way she speaks to her (her mother is too lazy to discipline). when she bought her her first phone (just because she asked for one) she came to her three days later and said ';mum this phone is rubbish you can only get 30 songs on it'; ....so what did my friend do? BOUGHT HER ANOTHER ONE!!!!! now if she was mine i would of said ';oh?, is it rubbish?, i'll have it back then'; i've tried hinting that she needs to pull it back abit because as shes getting older things are getting more expensive and once she goes to high school this 'pampered princess' attitude isnt going to wash with the other kids- and she's going to end up being bullied.





rant over- lol. basically spoiling your kids does them, and you, far more harm than good. What are the biggest parenting mistakes today?
The biggest mistake I see is giving too much to our children without the fundamentals of how obtaining something works. It teaches our children that all they have to do is want it and it's theirs. Back in my day kids got paper routes, cut lawns and babysat for those big ticket wants and used their allowance (which they received by doing chores) for the candy store, movies and ice cream. Too many people today are looking for that ';Get rich quick'; scheme, so they don't have to work for what they want. I think this is largely due to being handed things as children instead of working for them. Handing things to kids without them working for it teaches poor money management and poor work ethics, which will effect the economy even more in the future.
Biggest Mistake Ever...Spending Little TIME with your Children...95% of Parenting Issues would be solved if Parents would spend more time with their kids.








Lack of Proper and CONSISTENT Discipline





Parents not knowing their children's Friends...';Show me your friends and I'll TELL you WHO you are';





Parents NOT Listening to their Children.





Parents NOT talking to and REALLY getting to know their Kids as Individuals.





Not saying I LOVE YOU on a DAILY basis





Not Hugging, Kissing and showing Physical Affection DAILY...Kids Need LOVE and DISCIPLINE to Grow.





And Finally...Parents that soothe their conscience for NOT doing the above mentioned by Over-Indulgence of their Children with Material Possessions
My own biggest parenting flaw is that i gave my older daughter too many sweets when she was younger and now she has some cavities (which have been attended to now) and that sometime i cant say no to my daughters when they ask for something.....lol but the biggest flaw i see in other parents is when they let their kids do anything that they want and do not set some limits and give their kids phones, ipods, full access to the internet at such young ages. i mean if a child is under 16 they shouldnt even be allowed to use the computer if its not kidsafe already. sorry for those 14-15 year olds, but they really arent mature enough to know whether someone is trying to find them and do them harm. I learned that the hard way on my own.
For the younger ones - I would have to say that it's not letting them do the things that ';matter'; to them. One time I saw a mother yelling at her toddler because he wanted to walk on the curb (they were in a parking lot, so he was safe and holding her hand), all he wanted to do was be up a little higher and walk on the curb and she wouldn't let him. I would have done her no harm to let him walk there and would have brought a smile to his face. One time my daughter asked me if she could have 2 eggs, she was about 5 at the time, so I gave them to her - she cracked them in a bowl and played with them for an hour. A friend of mine came over and said she couldn't believe I was letting her play with eggs, I told her the cost was about 20 cents and she was not being harmed in any way besides she was having a blast. I will never understand why parents have to be so ';by the book'; sometimes. In the older ones I would say - Not listening. So many times parents say well you could have came to me, when that's what they have been trying to do all along. And not paying attention, you can often help your son or daughter when they don't even ask for help if you just pay attention.
Not actually parenting. Children aren't Chia pets, they don't just need water and a window. I hate when I see mothers and/or fathers treating their children like housemates or buddies or, even worse, being so into their own things that a child becomes an accessory rather than a focus.





I honestly feel that people should have to obtain a license to parent or complete some sort of thorough degree program and psychoanalysis. Crazy, foolish and disturbed begets crazy, foolish, and disturbed.
People don't tell their kids they love them enough. Another thing, people are putting their kids on '; behavioral'; drugs like Ritalin. Kids don't need drugs, they just kids. What happened to the kids of the 70's and 60's, they are some people parents or grandparents now. That generation seems productive even without drugs so why do our kids today need any.
Being far too lenient. Letting the little darlings 'express themselves' to the detriment of other people. Being afraid to punish bad behaviour in any way, instead only focusing on the good. Giving their opinions as much value as those of adults - duh! They're kids! By their very nature they know less about everything! Listen, sure, but you don't have to take them too seriously. I work in a shop, and the amount of times I hear parents asking their tiny children which coat/shoes they want drives me crazy. She's 2! She doesn't care that it's freezing out, or raining. She wants the pink one!
Lots of things :).First, not enough freedom for children.I hated it when my mom wouldn't drop me off at the movies, much less than let me eat at my own table at restraunts.Secondly, spoiling those little brats =).No 10 year-old has use for a cell-phone.Same with a personal computer or gigantic TV and fancy clothes.Third, bugging into their lives.If they feel comfortable telling you about things, don't push it.But if you have suspicions of drugs or something like that, it's totally fine. Fourth, not pushing them enough for their education.And fifth, not spending enough time with them.They may tell you they don't want to spend time with you but kids are complicated.





:D
I have a toddler and to tell you the truth the biggest mistake I see my friends doing is plopping their toddlers down in front of the tv. My son gets maybe 10 minutes a day of tv and that is when daddy comes home and watches a baby einstein dvd before dinner. other then that when we are in a room it is the radio and toys! another is discipline! Giving into tantrums and giving the kid what they want.
spanking kids. it's a crap shoot at best. i was whipped like a dog when i was a kid and turned out just fine. my niece was spanked a lot lighter than i ever was and she's completely rebelled against her parents. a few more years and she'll run away, for sure.
I think parents giving in when their child throws a tantrum is a big one. It teaches them that if they scream and cry they get what they want, which is a hard cycle to break even as they hit teenage years.
not spending enough time with them, not spending enough quality time with them, lack of discipline, over structured (not enough time to be kids), not instilling ethics and morals, not encouraging reading, not enough spanking
Letting them become overweight; not stressing the importance of healthy foods by making them each and every meal; and not making sure they get lots of exercise.
from my own observation --





neglecting their emotional health.





believing that ipods and computers and cell phones will make up for the fact we don't spend any quality or family time with them.






Letting the kids get involved in illegal activities(underage sex, taking illegal drugs, underage drinking.
Not paying enough attention to the kids. Let TV, VDO games, computer be their friends instead of getting up and do activities with them.



Being impatient towards them. Yelling and scraming at them, not paying attention to them.
Spanking - parents who spank teach violence.
letting the media raise the kids.
Lack of discipline, and trying to be their ';friend'; instead of a parent.
Parents forcing their children to play sports that they have no interest in.