Rich Child Syndrome, What Is It?

“Once upon a time there was a man so poor, but so poor, that he only had money”. It turns out that material wealth does not bring any kind of emotional wealth. Rich child syndrome is real and that’s why we’ve dedicated this article to talk about it.

We live in an over-consumption society. It’s no secret that the environment we live in, and especially the media, presents us with countless products that make us believe that we will be happy only if we have certain things.

But is happiness really that? When we are children we don’t give much importance to things. In fact, for a child material good is only a means to fun and never an end. However, we are currently reaching the critical point where you educate yourself so you can have things. This gives rise to the rich child syndrome.

rich child syndrome

The rich child syndrome or “ricopathy” is a disorder associated with children who grew up in environments of overprotection and material compensation for lack of attention, time or affection. It doesn’t just happen in wealthy families. There are middle-class families that also use material resources as a method of raising children.

Children affected by this syndrome usually exhibit spoiled or even naughty behavior. They believe they are entitled to everything. These children don’t ask, they demand.

They are lazy kids and have a very low tolerance for frustration. They don’t know how to deal if they don’t get what they ask for. They also tend to be violent and tantrum when they don’t get what they want.

Consequences of rich child syndrome

These children end up suffering from various problems in their personality development. When they grow up, they usually have:

• Low self esteem. They didn’t have help to develop their potential because they always received everything without having to do anything, without the slightest effort.
• Emotional mismanagement. They don’t know how to deal with their own emotions, which ends up causing more dissatisfaction. No one has taught them what to do when they are sad, angry, or happy. For these reasons they do not have emotional management tools.
• Very low frustration tolerance. They are not able to accept that there are times when you don’t get what you want and that things don’t always go as expected.
• Aggressiveness. These children show high levels of aggression due to the reasons mentioned above. They usually have behavior problems in school, family or any social environment.

• Alcohol and drugs. A large percentage of teenagers raised in these settings have problems with alcohol or other drugs.
• Low academic performance. They often show poor academic performance as they do not have the ability to visualize goals in life.

Parental responsibility?

In most cases yes. In an attempt to introduce their child to this society of consumption and status, many parents believe it is important that their child has it all. The more the better.

So they fill the kids with a sea of ​​toys, the latest cell phone models, loads of clothes they don’t really need. Often what parents really want is to make up for the time they couldn’t spend with their children. Even if not always conscious, these parents think they can make up for their absence by buying more stuff. However, this is a serious mistake that can have negative consequences for children.

Also, these parents tend to be very permissive with their children. This is a problem as it leads to lack of limits and non-compliance with rules.

What can be done to prevent rich child syndrome?

• The time you spend with your children should be quality time. It’s understandable that work is a necessity, but the time you spend with them should be the best time of day for everyone. Try to take this time to play with your kids as well as offer help with studies and homework.
• Establish rules. Children need boundaries and rules that help them differentiate between what’s good and what’s not. It doesn’t have to be authoritarian. There are thousands of ways to educate properly without the need to command.

• Make the effort pay off. Teach them that with effort they will be able to achieve many things. To do this, help your children discover their qualities and encourage them to develop them. Also, you can reward them when they achieve something, as long as you think about which prize is most appropriate for each age. And of course, without exceeding the limits.