A toddler with an iPad.

Despite the hilarity of the idea, I saw it with my own eyes.

During a recent trip to an upscale mall, I observed a mother and a little boy pass the Apple store.

“Mommy! Look, they have iPads. You promised me a new toy!” he exclaimed. The mother replied with a laugh, and the duo entered the store.

Now, I’m not sure if a purchase was made, but the simple fact that the child demanded what he wanted and the mother gave in without an objection is appalling. Add the fact that the child flippantly thought of an expensive electronic device as a toy, and the situation is jaw-dropping.

As I stood in shock, wondering if it would be obvious if I followed the two into the store, I thought: Are children these days being raised as a generation of “spoiled brats?”

The problem already prevails among young adults. A craving for the latest fashions, the fastest electronics, the shiniest cars and power consumes most young adults’ life agendas. As these young adults become spouses and parents, inevitably they pass this mindset to their children.

Today a child wants an iPad; tomorrow they will want the whole Apple store. There are so many useful products in the Apple line. Why bother a child with a coloring book? Give them Photoshop.

A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania discovered that children ask for at least 14 items per day. I can’t imagine how a child discovers 14 different things a day to ask for, but they do.

Give in to those 14 things a day, and they will start asking 70 times more.

A child’s want for something expensive really boils down to the parents’ first purchase of something expensive. An important step in raising a child: Buy your child’s love. If they want something, you must get it for them, even if you have to work three jobs and sell all your expensive jewelry. No amount of love and discipline will gain their respect. Materialistic possessions mean everything. Just ask mother of the year, Dina Lohan.

If my sarcasm in the last paragraph was not clear to you, you might be on the track toward becoming a contributor to the “generation of spoiled brats.”