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[quote=Anonymous]I’m feeling at a loss and would appreciate perspective and advice from others who've been here.  We have a very smart, fun, precocious 7-year-old, but her attitude is very me/me/me—constant “I want, I want, I want.”

How are people teaching empathy and generosity at this age?  What volunteer opportunities would be appropriate to show her how much she has b/c books we've read aren't doing it.

As parents, we model and talk about giving (donating money, volunteering, helping others). She can tell us the difference between a need vs a want.  Still, her responses and actions feel very self-centered.  For example, our kids get an allowance and are expected to split it into save/donate/spend. Our older child had no issue with this when he started at her age, but when we introduced it to our daughter, she was very upset and said she does not want to give away her money. Same with toys and clothes—she refuses to donate anything because they’re hers and she wants to keep everything.

We don’t believe we spoil our kids, but clearly our message isn’t resonating with our youngest in the same way.  It doesn't appear to be normal 7-year-old behavior but correct me if I'm wrong. Do they grow out of it? Are there strategies that actually work to help your child move beyond this mindset?  I don't know what we did wrong....[/quote]

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