....That's where I disagree with you: The "best" for your kid (in my opinion) is to teach them how to earn and value what they receive and not to take things for granted and expect to be given things. It's the behaviour of 'expecting' things which makes someone 'spoilt'. However, someone who is already spoilt is highly unlikely to understand this. I speak as a parent and someone who is grateful for how my parents brought me up rather than for what things they bought me as gifts.
I agree totally with you Robin,
When i think of my childhood did i have to do without things were friends got them or people at school had the latest in things? yes because my parents did not have loads of money. Did i find it hard at the time probably yes (infact i still remember one when i was about 12 about trainer makes) but it give me a great lesson in life that if i worked myself hard for something and saved the pennys i could have something too and i would value it so much more because of the hard work it was to get it. My parents had little money but my uncles and aunts on both sides of the family were well off there kids got everything they wanted or it seemed like it. They had labtops before i had even heard of them!. personal ornaisers etc etc etc.
Ilearned valuable lessons from all this though.
When i compare myself to them today 20+ years on i seem to be the one whos better off. If i compare myself to my cousin Neal as an example he has more bling a posher car (BMW), Even a better paid job! due to going to better schools he has the latest everything ipods etc, but he has a small house latest newish trendy one but large morgage, and is in dept for at the last count 25K trendy wardrope and spends lots of nights out in clubs with mates racking up more dept.
Were as myself i have a 3 bedroom detached self built house with decent gardens is paid for fully as is the cars the 7 car workshop i have and everything else so i have no dept. If i want something and it will take me 2 years to save for it i will do without other things then thats what i will do. I will not buy it on credit. ( i have a bad credit rating because of this lol)
Its funny but when i meet up with old school friends i find the ones that had all the in things are in massive dept as they still have to HAVE the in things, and often there parents are still bailing them out, there in dept as they don't know how to manage money and the value of it. The ones that were not so well off have done ok for themselfs.
The culture now is must have now and thats why theses so many programs out there like 'bank of mom and dad' and them dept programs. Parents don't teach there kids the value of money it may be a hard lesson when your a kid and teenager but it is the best lesson in life you will ever learn and the best i ever did.
As for a gift of a car, its funny when my dad was on about changing cars last year i offered to buy him one (mk5 GTI) he refused point blank, I guess the lessons he instilled in me were in him even more and he was too prowd to except a gift like this.