Letting your kid choose her sippy cup won't spoil her: 10 guidelines

Are American kids spoiled rotten? Every year a new article goes viral by preying on parents' fears. Are we being too permissive? Are we raising a generation of brats?

So let's address this issue head-on.  Parenting is hard.  You want to be compassionate, but you also want your child to learn appropriate lessons and not to be "spoiled" -- meaning a person who cares only about himself, isn't resilient, doesn't pitch in, or is discontented and greedy. You want him to feel deserving, but not to think he deserves at the expense of someone else, which we might call "entitled."  So you want a child who is resilient, self-disciplined, and willing to work hard to achieve. At the same time, you want your child to be caring and generous toward others. Oh, and happy! Right?

We actually know how to raise that child.  And it isn't to crack down and leave your child crying. Based on what we now know about child development, here are your ten guidelines to raise a self-disciplined, caring adult.