PEARL 15
Entitlement
COUNSELOR: “So, Danielle, what’s happening in your life that
brings you into counseling with me?”
DANIELLE: “It’s my parents. They’re so lame! All they can do is
moan about my credit cards and phone bills. They are so living in
the past. They don’t get it. There’s lots more important things than
grades. And they don’t have a clue about what kids need. My dad
bought me this stupid four-door car. He knows I was supposed to get
a convertible. Nobody drives a heap like that to school.”
COUNSELOR: “When your dad called to set up these sessions, he
told me that money is really tight and that if things don’t change, he
will have to consider bankruptcy. Given the situation, do you feel
any guilt about the amount of money you spend?”
DANIELLE: “Of course not! I didn’t ask to be born into this stupid
family. Besides, parents are supposed to buy great stuff for their
kids.”We’re not sure who to feel sorry for in situations like this: Danielle,
her parents, or the future of America. As outrageous as Danielle seems,
we all know kids like her. We actually feel somewhat sorry for Danielle.
Once she started to believe that it is her birthright to have everything she
wants as soon as she wants it, she was doomed. She will never have
enough to satisfy her. Her happiness will depend upon not what she can
attain through effort but how others serve or provide for her. She will
enter the adult world expecting far too much from others and far too little
from herself.