It doesn’t have to cost all that much to spoil a child, and three of the four factors in my definition of spoiled don’t cost a thing. Even that last one—the lavishing of possessions—can still be in play for kids who are far from rich, depending on how many relatives dote on a child. Parents of middle-and working-class kids have many of the same worries about materialism and entitlement, given that all kids are exposed to the same acquisitive culture.
