My mom was the eldest of six children, and when her siblings would ask her to do things, she would say, “Every top needs to spin on its own bottom.” And her siblings would beg, fuss with her, and sometimes walk away angrily. I didn’t understand the exchange then, but I do now. My grandmother was a single mom, and although we lived with my great-grandmother, my mom assisted her siblings. So, when they became bothersome, her remark was a reminder that they needed to learn how to do it for themselves.

She denied the privilege of acting entitled. Shifting them from the role of dependency to independence and made no apologies for it. And what they perceived as being spiteful was merely her teaching them to stand on their own. And as an adult, I fully agree.

Over-pampering children has created a sense of entitlement. These are people who believe they deserve preferential treatment off the sweat equity of others and not themselves; and the character traits of entitled people are horrible. A few of them have no consideration for the feelings of others, refuse to follow rules implemented by others or themselves, and display severe narcissistic and psychologically disturbed behavior.

We need to wake up! I am not sure if we are noticing, but this is now a problem that needs medical attention. As people are losing their cool over trivial situations and retaliating in lethal ways. “Every top needs to spin on its own bottom” not only needs to be taught to those around us, but entitlement needs to be unlearned ASAP.