There is a selfishness children must overcome if they are to become good people who care about others. A favorite word of two year olds is "me" or "mine". They want what others have. Indulgent parents like the Dursleys in the Harry Potter franchise display the worst in parenting by letting their precious Dudley have everything he wants and even demands. So many of us give things to our children to please them. I get it. I've done it myself. But at some point if not modulated, parental indulgence reaps narcissistic kids who only care about trivial, temporary things, hurting both their potential and future in society.

Corporate marketing constantly bombards all of us with propaganda used to motivate us to buy things. They want our money and don't care how they get it. How much stuff do we need? Ten shoes? 100? 1,000? How many toys? How many nick knacks? We have so much stuff, many of us rent storage units to put excess stuff in, or fill our attics and our kids rooms. Why? Does it make our kids happier to live in stuffed, messy rooms with baskets of possessions?

Social media encourages all of us to compare/contrast our lives with influencers and celebrities who artificially modify their bodies and images presented. It makes kids feel poorer, uglier, and less fulfilled. The word vomit of narcissists dominates so much of it. I, me, my, mine...my feelings, my grievances, my burdens, my desires, my clothes, my make-up, morphing my body, my possessions. People spend so much time and effort competing on social media.

I once went to a concert in which three young girls directly in front of me spent the ENTIRE CONCERT taking selfies. The faced me, not the singer, so as to have her in the background singing during their videos. It was appalling. They cared more about how they looked posing in their photos and videos posted online than they did about the concert they paid to enjoy. They only talked to each other to get opinions on which shots made them look cute to post. They didn't sing along. They didn't care that standing on their chairs blocked the view of everyone behind them. They had nothing interesting to say to anyone. They just primped and posed. I felt so sorry for them. I remember in my youth the singing and comraderie with fellow concert goers, holding up lighters, swaying together, sharing a moment. Instead, they missed real life in order to pose for pretend life! Those weren't genuine smiles! I just face palmed and left early.

When my kids started over emphasizing things, I encouraged them to work. Physical labor has a way teaching values. If they were willing to put in sweat equity for at least part of the cost, if not all of it, they were more careful with purchases, and less gluttonous.

When my kids overly focused on their appearance and the status of their navel piercing, I took them to old folks homes to give goodies out and read or sing to the elderly. I'd talk about the importance of things that last, like education or generosity, not beauty and impressing shallow kids at school.

I made them volunteer in Bible school to help with the younger kids or babies of teachers. Changing 20 diapers in a row is a leveling experience. It made them appreciate their youth and not rush into parenting prematurely, and encouraged their empathy.

When they complained about the lack of fast food, or the meals I prepared, we cleaned out the pantry and went to food banks or homeless shelters where we volunteered. There is nothing like handing out food to the grateful to recognize how blessed you are in your own life.

Step away from phones and media. Life is a gift! Who can you become? It's not the money and things that you accrue that gauges the success of your life; it's the people you encourage and help along the way. Blessings are boundless when you give of yourself rather than exploit yourself. The blessings overflow back to you in ways you cannot fathom.

Demonstrate THAT, and the narcissists will have no more power.