The Top 16 Ways Parents Can Prevent Their Children From Becoming Narcissists: Part 4

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

This is the final post of a four-part blog series summarizing the take-away messages of the last chapter of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living In The Age Of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D.—Treating the Epidemic of Narcissism.

Parents, to arrest narcissism in your children (and yourselves) you must:

13. Get involved in your school and help to combat the narcissism epidemic. The emphasis on self-esteem has got to go. We need to lose the “I am special” songs and stop conveying the message that “everyone is a winner.” “Real life—such as getting into college, getting promoted, or playing sports after childhood—does not operate on a ‘trophies for all’ policy.” Instead, focus on praising your child’s effort and hard work, and be very specific about it. [NOTE: This is the topic of another must-read book on our summer reading list was Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.]

14. Be aware of the media your children are consuming. Reality TV shows and watching the news covering mass shootings (Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc.) send the wrong messages to our children.

15. When it comes to spending time on FB, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc. lead by example. Instead of promoting yourself, try friending and commenting upon sites and blogs that are thought-provoking or society-enhancing and Tweeting about great causes and humanitarian successes. Your children will follow suit.

16. Teach your children fiscal responsibility. One of the primary reasons why we are in this financial meltdown is because American society actively promotes living beyond our means. “You want to appear to be richer, cooler, or more successful than you are? There are no payments for the first 12 months!” Be sure your children know financial fundamentals. Try using the Money Wizdom ™ Starter Kit with them: Check it out by clicking here. My 6 and 5 year olds are loving it.

If you have other thoughts on how we can prevent our children from becoming narcissists, please share them. Also, if you have a fabulous manuscript for a children’s picture book that is relevant to this theme, please email us at info@littlepicklepress.com.