Middle-class parents raising a generation of 'brats' who can't hold down a job

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Middle-class parents are raising a generation of 'spoilt brats' who are so cosseted that they struggle to cope in the workplace, psychologists have warned.

A new breed of 'princesses' and 'little kings' cannot hold down jobs because they are so used to leaving household chores to their parents and throwing tantrums to get their own way.

Experts believe a rise in childcentred parenting is to blame. Mothers and fathers are said to be lavishing expensive clothes and gadgets on their children both to keep up with the Joneses and ease their guilt at working long hours.

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Where's our dinner?: Cosseted home lives leave children unprepared for adulthood, say experts

But too much pampering is making many children bossy, demanding and nasty to classmates, experts warn.

The children's charity Kidscape yesterday lamented the rise of the 'brat bully' - a new breed of classroom monster who uses mobile phones and e-mail to subtly victimise other children.

Meanwhile, Professor Cary Cooper, head of psychology and health at Lancaster University, warned that cosseted home lives can leave children ill-equipped for life in the adult world.

"Some young people have been so pampered they can't stick at a job when things get tough," he said.

"They have no experience of knuckling down to household chores and pulling their weight, because their parents did everything for them."

He added: "Working couples have very little disposable time for each other, or their children, so when the kids are younger they outsource them to nannies or childminders, and when they're older, they feel guilty and buy them off by indulging them and never asking anything in return.

"By the time they're teenagers, kids see their peer group as their new family and have little loyalty to their parents."

According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters, employers find that many school-leavers are unwilling to perform menial tasks which they consider beneath them.

Some also have little idea how to answer phones politely or treat colleagues with respect.

Michele Elliott, director of Kidscape, highlighted the emergence of middle-class 'brat bullies'.

"Before, you could say bullies often came from dysfunctional families, were miserable themselves-and were acting out their anger on the people around them," she said.

"But some of them now come from what you might call 'good homes' - they are well cared for and their parents love them.

"The problem is these children increasingly think they have an entitlement to everything, and are almost like royalty - 'move out of the way, here comes the princess'. Boys as well can be 'little kings'."

Such children often victimise others through Internet chatrooms and text messages, said Mrs Elliott.

"Their parents are often unaware of how their child is acting towards others," she added. "Or if they do, they may not care, taking the attitude 'she will get ahead in life because she's assertive'."

The warning came as ministers urged parents to do more to help their children with schoolwork.

Research published yesterday by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust concluded that parents can significantly improve grades and behaviour by 'supporting learning in the home'.

 

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