Spoiled?

Do you think your child with special needs is spoiled? If so, what is your definition of spoiled, and who is doing the spoiling?

Someone made the comment to me the other day that Ashley was probably spoiled rotten at school. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that Ashley is quite strong-willed and likes getting her way. Couple that with the fact that she is stinking cute, and yes, she may get spoiled a bit at school.

But then I started thinking – do I spoil her? Well, I do buy cupcakes every week so she can have one for dessert with her dinner. I’ve always rationalized that because it is the only sweet that she will eat – no candy, cookies, ice cream, etc. – that it’s really not spoiling her that much.

And yes, she is very particular about her clothes, especially shoes, and yes, she does have 14 pairs of Converse high top sneakers, but again, they are the only shoes she will keep on. And that has been the case since she was two years old. So is that spoiling her?

She does get disciplined if discipline is necessary. She doesn’t always get her way at home, although because she has so few demands, it might seem like she does. So I don’t know if I spoil her or not.

I do remember something that my former mother-in-law told me one time. She said that you can’t spoil a child with too much love. Too many things? Yes. Too much love? No.

So, I don’t think I spoil Ashley, but I do know that I love her from here to beyond. If she is spoiled from too much love, I believe I can live with that!