Characters

I once had a friend who spent half of her time being super-mom to two teenage boys, and the other half trying to break them of the creeping sense of “entitlement” she saw taking root early on. She noticed in them an almost demanding expectation that they were “due” certain food, designer clothes, taxi service, spending money, privileges, freedoms and quality of life. Their attitude angered her, and she was determined to reshape their thinking, or at least their behavior, in that area. And as much as we shake our heads at people, especially kids, who lack a natural reflex of gratitude or appreciation for the good things they enjoy — there is also an upside to “entitlement.” It’s not always a dirty word. Exhibit A: two-year-old Owen Grefrath, who helped me see that a sense of entitlement can be one of the best legacies we pass on to our children. I first saw Owen in action on a dairy farm, in a huge barn lined on both sides with hundreds of miking cows. He wasn’t much more than...