The Top 10 Signs of a Spoiled Teenager and How to Fix the Damage

Learn 10 signs of a spoiled teenager. When you understand how to deal with an ungrateful teenager you can improve your parent-child relationship and work to fix their sense of entitlement. It’s a good sign that you identified this early so that you can learn this effective way to encourage good behavior and love in your home.

Is your teenager expecting the newest iphone or new toy?

Does their temper tantrums almost feel like verbal abuse?

Or do they take your unconditional love for granted and deny the consequences of their actions?

You may accidently be raising an ungrateful teenager.

Shocking, I know.

Luckily, when you learn warning signs of a spoiled child, you can turn your entitled teenager into the amazing kid you know they can be.

Are you noticing your young kids are ungrateful? Try this Plan to Teach Kids Gratitude

Related: Raise kids who feel comfortable tell you good things AND bad things

Understanding the Teenage Brain: Why is my Child Spoiled?

There is a valid reason why your teenager is spoiled or ungrateful.

Like most wildly unpredictable child and teenage behaviors, we can attribute it to the developing brain.

In teen’s brains, the “logic center” of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is still developing, so teenagers might rely on a part of the brain called the amygdala, or the “emotions center” to make decisions and solve problems. The amygdala is associated with impulses, fear, aggression, and emotions.

Basically, the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing. This is why they can’t explain later what they were thinking. They weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling.

At a young age, it is normal to put our wants before the needs of others. But as children grow through their teen years, they start to develop the ability to add logic to emotions. This process take longer for some than others.

Learn how to Rekindle Your Mom and Son Bond as your Boy is Growing Older Here!

Also read: How to Teach kids to Grow During Tough Times

Immature behavior, power struggles, and other such behaviors are a direct result of the young brain.

Additionally, the world is much different than it used to be.

If your childhood was like mine, I didn’t have a cell phone in high school. I worked after school at a donut shop to pay for my trusty old gas-guzzling ’85 Buick Century.

Many modern children and teenagers haven’t had to deal with hard times or failures. While we may take pride in giving our children a cushy lifestyle, it doesn’t always teach them about the real world.

The good news is, as parents, when we can admit that we are raising spoiled children or disrespectful teenager, we can take extra steps to fix this problem at hand.

Also read: 5 Ways to Impact Your Child’s Happiness and Future Relationships

10 Signs of a Spoiled Teenager or Child

Many modern teenagers feel like the world owes them everything. They act as if their parents and other adults are put on this earth to serve them.

Do you recognize any of these 10 signs of a spoiled teenager?:

1. Getting them to help out or do chores is a constant battle
2. They give up when life gets hard
3. They care more about material things than relationships
4. You notice poor performance in their work (whether school, sports, or at home)
5. They avoid spending quality time with family members
6. They are more interested in their phone or screens than the real world
7. Your child is constantly comparing and saying “That’s unfair”
8. They never seem excited or even satisfied
9. Basic manners (like saying “thanks”) feel forced
10.  They talk to you like a peer (disrespectful tone)

If even some of these 10 signs of a spoiled teenager sounds familiar, chances are you are accidently raising an ungrateful teenager or child.

The good news is you are NOT alone and there are easy ways we can help our young people understand hard work and gratitude.

Try this Visualization Meditation Script to Improve Your Teen’s Mental Wellness.

You may also like: A Common Mistake Parents Make that Induce Childhood Anxiety

Continue reading to find out how to deal with an ungrateful teenager.

What to do at the Sign of a Spoiled Child or Entitled Teenager

If you have found yourself facing the eye rolls and snarky comments of a spoiled teenager, these 5 simple parenting tips will help you control the damage.

Eliminate Empty Threats

The first step is to quit disciplining with bribes or empty threats.

Have clear boundaries for your children and respond with gentle consequences.

Don’t refer to their actions as “bratty behavior”- remember that their brains are still developing and natural consequences will help them learn.

Learn how Motivate Lazy Kids here!

Encourage Hard work

It is said that Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before successfully inventing the the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail 1,000 times, Edison simply said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention of 1,000 steps.”

I am just saying.

Whether on a sports team, in school, or at an outside job – encourage your child to work hard at something.

Tough tasks teach teenagers to be resilient. Give your child the opportunity to fail in life.

Raising an anxious teen? Try teaching them these mindfulness activities for teen anxiety

Limit screen time

Today’s older children are hyper-focused on screens- video games, phones, and ipads.

Many put screens before family time or helping out their families. Effects on cognition and brain development: Recent research on screen time suggests that kids who spend more than 2 hours per day looking at a screen score lower on thinking and language tests, and earn lower grades.

Teach your child to balance technology and develop their own screen time limits with these tips on screen balance.

Teach Life Skills

“Make me a sandwich.”

“I don’t know how to run the vacuum cleaner.”

If these comments ring a bell, your teen may need to learn some simple life skills.

Teach your kid these 5 life skills so that they learn to be more independent and grateful for what you typically do for them.

These 15 Inspirational Quotes are Great for Motivating Teens!

Read: Why Gentle Parenting is Not Working for me.

Develop a good relationship

It is important to have a healthy relationship with your child so that you can have these teaching moments and discussions with them.

Teenagers need to feel like they can come to you – free of judgement- even to talk about uncomfortable things.

Spend quality time with your child. Find something they like (watching sports, riding bikes, reading) and find a way to join in with them. Develop a hobby you can do together. Gain their trust.

If you need extra help, reach out to your health care provider or a clinical psychologist. Educate yourself on a mental disorder called oppositional defiant disorder here.

Final Thoughts on 10 Signs of a Spoiled Teenager

These 5 methods will help intervene and raise amazing, grateful humans.

The most important thing you can do as a parent is remember that your child’s brain is still developing and needs your support.

Think of it this way: It is not your teenager rolling their eyes and refusing to make their bed – it is their immature amygdala (emotion corner of the brain). And it has a lot of room for growth and blossom.

For more tips on how to raise kids who are healthy at home and strong in the world, follow us on Facebook.

You may also find helpful: Top Signs of Anger Issues in Teenagers