The Happy Face Sticker Syndrome

My husband and I were in a restaurant recently and we got on
the subject of people feeling that they are entitled to certain things in life whether
they earn them or not especially when it comes to things such as job promotions
or material things such as designed clothing, luxury cars, etc.  In the process of going back and forth and
stating our reasons why the problem exist.
I made the point that the reason
why people feel that way is because we have become a society that hands out
awards for everything and we are constantly patting people on the back for doing
what they are supposed to do in life.
And it starts in kindergarten with kids are given a happy face sticker
just because they showed up and sat in there seat.  Our youngest son is always asking for a
reward when he gets an A and when I explain to him that the reward is the A he
always states back that he needs something for getting the A.  He feels this way because from preschool to
now fifth grade he has attended school with the kids whose parents that
demanded that all the kids get a reward even if they fail the test they get a
reward.  Because without the happy face
sticker next to the F they earned little Billy or Brenda might become Ted
Bundy.  I’m going to go out on a limb
here and say that it takes more than a happy face sticker to stop someone from
becoming the next serial killer.

Last year three of our kids had a
middle school academic awards program which lasted over three hours and there
were more awards given out of nonacademic that academic because they didn’t
want the kids who weren’t getting an academic award t feel left out.   Are you serious why even call it an academic
award ceremony just call it “the everyone gets something ceremony.”   That ceremony was almost as bad as the
graduation ceremony our 8^th grader had.  Yes a graduation ceremony for 8^th
grade complete with cap and gown and not one but two valedictorians.
I also believe that this
obsessive need to get what we haven’t really earned or being patted on the back
for just being is why we have adults who moved back home after college to “find
themselves.”  Or never move out at all because
they’re saving up for the down payment on a house or car or to pay for a wedding
and can’t save and pay rent.