Every school in the United States is battling a bullying epidemic. The compilation of nation wide surveys completed since 1986, indicate an ever growing trend of entitlement ingrained in America’s youth (Reuters 2010). Why? It is the result of parents continually and constantly confusing sympathy with empathy.
The Misuse of Sympathy
When a parent incorporates sympathy instead of empathy, they tend to engage in enabling behaviors. Enabling behaviors instill a sense of entitlement in the child, causing the child to cry victim in order to excuse themselves from accountability. They readily blame or judge others, manipulating and bullying to get ahead, rather than working hard.
