I picked up Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World during a breaking point—my 10-year-old had just thrown a tantrum over not getting the latest iPhone, and I realized with horror that I was raising the kind of kid I used to judge in restaurants. Kristen Welch’s book didn’t just offer parenting tips; it confronted me with an uncomfortable truth: My kids weren’t entitled—I was enabling them. This isn’t a guilt trip; it’s a roadmap for cultivating gratitude in a culture that equates love with stuff.

1. Entitlement Isn’t a Kid Problem—It’s a Parent Problem

Welch’s blunt confession—\"I was the one who couldn’t handle my child’s disappointment\"—hit me like a gut punch. She traces entitlement back to parental fear: fear of our kids being left out, fear of their unhappiness, fear of looking \"less than\" other families. I realized I’d been buying my daughter trendy clothes not because she needed them, but because I dreaded her being teased. Welch’s challenge: \"Do you love your child enough to let them feel lack?\" That question changed everything.

2. Gratitude Isn’t Taught—It’s Modeled

The book’s most humbling revelation? Kids don’t learn gratitude from forced thank-yous or chore charts. They learn it by watching us. Welch describes her family’s \"no-complaint challenge,\" where even parents had to replace gripes with gratitude. When I tried it, my son caught me muttering about traffic—and called me out. That moment showed me more about entitlement than any lecture ever could.

3. The Power of \"Enough\" in a More-More-More World

Welch’s family moved from a affluent suburb to a smaller home, replacing birthday gift piles with \"give one, get one\" parties. She shares the surprising result: Her kids became more creative, more generous, and ironically—happier. I implemented \"no-screen Sundays\" and watched my children rediscover board games and backyard forts. Their initial protests gave way to something shocking: \"This is actually fun.\"

4. Service is the Antidote to Spoiling

The book’s turning point comes when Welch takes her kids to serve in a Kenyan slum. Her son’s perspective shift—\"They have nothing but are so happy\"—couldn’t be replicated by any parental lecture. Inspired, I started volunteering with my kids at a food pantry. Their complaints about \"boring\" weekends gradually turned into \"When are we going back?\"

5. Saying No is Really Saying Yes to Something Better

Welch reframes limits as gifts: \"Every ‘no’ to entitlement is a ‘yes’ to character.\" When I stopped funding my teen’s Starbucks habit and made her budget allowance, she initially sulked—then proudly showed me her DIY iced coffee recipe. That small victory proved Welch’s thesis: Kids don’t need more things; they need the triumph of earning.

Why This Book is a Game-Changer

Welch writes like a friend who’s been in the trenches—no perfect-parent pretenses. Her stories of failures (like caving to toy demands) and hard-won wins make change feel possible.

After reading, I didn’t just raise my kids differently—I reparented myself. As Welch writes: \"The most spoiled child isn’t the one with the most toys, but the one with the least responsibility.\"

\"Gratitude isn’t a response to getting what we want—it’s the recognition of what we already have.\" —Kristen Welch