"SPOILED ROTTEN - MY DEFENSE"

Ever since I was a child I was repeatedly told that I was "spoiled rotten".  This is a label that I believe we, as a society, need to banish.  Even if we don't banish it - we should take that label off of me!

First, let's see the "IDIOM DICTIONARY'S" description...

spoil (one) rotten

First of all, this is a label that is meant to diminish the person.  "He's spoiled rotten."  "She's spoiled rotten."  But if we look at the definition above - it is to "CAUSE ONE to expect to receive everything they want....."    Although I may expect to receive everything that I want - please remember that - it's not my fault.  I'm the victim here!  

My parents and grandparents have all passed, and I don't wish to speak ill of them.  However...  It wasn't my fault that my mom would make me a different dinner than everyone else simply because I refused to eat what was on the table.  How is that my fault? 

Being the youngest of three boys allowed my parents years to contemplate the effectiveness of their parenting with my two older siblings.  There was a 10-year gap between me and my older brother, and 15 years to my oldest brother.  That's a long time for them to be able to hone their parenting skills so that their final attempt would cause the least amount of trouble. 

Let's go back to the definition for just a moment. 
"Expecting to receive everything they want by always giving it to them."  Once again - I didn't ALWAYS get EVERYTHING I wanted.  I still have a list of things that were never delivered:

A Mini-Bike - oh my goodness how I wanted that!  It would have been so flippin' cool to be able to go wherever I wanted - whenever I wanted to.  My parents did however rent me a moped on Bermuda when I was 12 years old - and I drove everywhere on that island.  OK - they get half credit for that.

A Pool Table.  My friend Gordy had one, and he was cool.  He could do trick shots and everything.  Me?  I had to beg and plead to be able to go there and shoot pool with him. 

A Snowmobile.  Jeff Rossi had one - and he could tear through the woods at lightning speed.  I only got a couple of rides on it! 

A Cruise.  My parents went on one for one of their anniversaries.  They had a great time!  I remember seeing the slides of the pictures that dad took.  Me?  I was left home with my grandmothers.  10 whole days!  Incredible that they would do that to me!!!! 

A Horse.  Again - a way to have freedom and allow for exploration.  Actually - I rode one once, and have no desire to do that again - but nonetheless - THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO ME!!!!

The model submarine at Stars.  Stars was a "department store" in Torrington in the 1950s-70s.  They had an awesome department of kits to make model cars, planes, boats...  But did my parents buy me that submarine?  NOPE.  Even though I cried all the way home!  

I'm pretty sure that those six things are the only things on the list of things my parents refused to get me.  However - it's proof enough that I didn't get EVERYTHING that I ever wanted.  

Back to the label...

Going forward - Let's put the blame squarely on the shoulders of those who deserve it.  The SPOILERS.  I was merely a SPOILEE - a victim of my parents' and grandmothers' over-indulgence.  

In a future article, I'll address the label of FUSSY.  But not today.  I want the SPOILED ROTTEN label completely erased.  Then we can talk about my "alleged" fussiness.

Till Next Week!