Nightmare Kids Who Defined ‘Spoiled Brat’ In The Worst Way
Despite the fantasies prospective parents have as they wait for their little ones to arrive, the fact is that you never truly know how a child is going to turn out. Sometimes, they're very quiet, sweet, and well-mannered but that's not often how things go. Kids can easily be loud, chaotic, and selfish because that's basically the default state for the majority of people until they learn not to be.
However, sometimes, it doesn't look like that learning will ever happen. Whether a frighteningly spoiled and entitled mindset is encouraged by similar haughty parents, dominating ones who don't know how to stand up to it, or raging against a responsible parent's best efforts, some kids clearly have it to a critical degree.
A Simple But Illustrative Example
Although it may not be as dramatic as other stories we're about to hear, it's hard not to feel that one simple tale of childhood entitlement sets the tone for what we can expect.
As our narrator of few words said about one of their young relatives, "Some kid at an extended family gathering got an iPhone 8 for Christmas and said: 'I was expecting the iPhone X!'
That Wasn't Really Necessary
While some kids adore reading, others wouldn't be able to contain their disappointment if they received books for Christmas. Still, there's a world of difference between being admittedly disappointed by your gift and being a brat, and one kid wasted no time at all in crossing that line.
As our narrator said about one child's behavior, "I gave my nephew some books as a gift. He said, 'Oh man, are you kidding me?' and threw them on the floor."
I Don't Know If The Kid's Spoiled Or The Adult Is Resentful
Sometimes, adults aren't always the best at judging when a kid is spoiled or just has different needs. Since the reason the parents have for keeping more of an eye on their child than usual seems pretty valid, it's hard not to see our narrator's story that way.
As they said, "My friend's kid was in a stroller until he was 5 years old because he couldn’t be trusted not to run off into traffic when they were out in public. If only life for the rest of us was as simple as being chauffeured around wherever you want to go without even having to move a muscle." It's not the kid's fault his parents haven't bought a leash, as that's what most parents have when their kids share that tendency.
This Entitlement And Lack Of Self-Awareness Are Insane
At our narrator's high school, there was a girl who repeatedly grumbled about her parents' refusal to vacate the master suite in their mansion. And yes, this is the room they had all the rights to when they bought the property themselves.
Still, she insisted she was entitled to it, citing the larger walk-in closet and bathroom compared to her own. To make herself feel better, she convinced her parents to redecorate her bedroom annually.
Maybe He Should Learn How To Drive These Things First
A boy who was a classmate of our narrator's brother received a brand-new Dodge from his parents. Within a week, he managed to blow the engine.
Instead of punishing him, his dad purchased a brand-new Ford as a replacement — and also covered the repairs on the Dodge. In just a few short weeks, the boy had amassed over $100,000 in trucks.
That's Not A Great Sign For That Kid's Future Attitude
As someone who provides unspecified work for a billionaire explained, this person's family had four children, all of whom were quite spoiled. The youngest was the most extreme, once telling them spitefully, "We're going on Tiger next week, and you're not allowed to come!"
“Tiger” was the name of the family’s yacht in southern Italy. The upsetting part wasn’t only the child’s entitlement but the fact that he deliberately flaunted it, fully aware of the impact.
Even He Knows His Parents Won't Discipline Him
After relocating to a new city, a couple spent considerable time with the husband's high school friend. She had a toddler son who was notoriously difficult. Despite frequently threatening him with punishment for his behavior, she never actually enforced it.
During dinners together, the boy would throw tantrums, prompting her to warn, "If you keep acting like that, we’re leaving." He continued his outbursts, yet she never followed through on the threat. Small wonder he continued them, then.
The Parents' Non-Reaction Explained A Lot
On a flight, a Texan was seated with an entire family behind him. The 9-year-old boy directly behind kept kicking and pushing the seat, acting as if no one else existed. After a while, the Texan turned, fixed the kid with a stare, and said, "You keep kicking my seat kid, and we're gonna have problems." The boy froze, and the Texan continued, “You understand what I'm saying? Keep your feet off my damn seat, or I'll beat you to smithereens.”
He held the stare for a full ten seconds, never glancing at the parents. The child looked terrified — clearly unused to being confronted — and didn't know how to respond. The Texan then turned back, looked at his neighbor, and winked. The parents remained silent, and the boy stayed perfectly still for the rest of the flight.
There's A Difference Between Input And Dominance
When a couple is about to have a second child, it's not unreasonable for them to seek input from their existing child about how they feel about the arrangement. However, that child's feelings are only one factor when planning a family and not necessarily the final word on the matter.
However, one person recalled describing a childhood conversation differently, saying, "One classmate's mom and step-dad literally asked her for permission to have a child together. She told them no because she wanted to be an only child. They listened."
It's Hard Not To Feel A Little Sorry For The Boyfriend
At college, a girl who had long been extremely spoiled set her sights on becoming the ideal sorority girl she had always envisioned. To achieve this, she pressured her boyfriend to transform into a stereotypical "frat bro." She altered his hairstyle and wardrobe, pushing him to rush numerous fraternities.
When he failed to gain entry anywhere, her wealthy parents financed the creation of a new fraternity on campus. Although it still wasn't officially recognized, they had been attempting to get it validated for three years. As if that weren’t enough, she had the group name her the “fraternity sweetheart” and plastered the title across social media. Even though it wasn’t a real fraternity, that didn't stop her entitlement and obsession with always getting her way from turning her into someone supremely unlikable.
The Kid May Be Privileged, But "Spoiled" Is The Wrong Word
At college, a student was figuring out how to afford a required textbook and realized they would need to wait until the following week's part-time job paycheck to manage it. Noticing the situation, a friend showed up the next day with a brand-new copy, purchased on a credit card his parents had given him.
He admitted he charged so many things on the card that his parents never questioned him, even when the purchases weren’t for him. While he was in a hard position not to envy, he still helped out without any hesitation, making it hard to criticize him too harshly.
It Would Be Hard Not To Be Embarrassed As Her Parents
A nanny in the U.S. cared for a child who once threw an enormous tantrum after her parents donated an old backpack to charity — a backpack she had replaced only a month earlier.
The nanny, accustomed to working with children who had far less, was stunned by the reaction. This child, however, was clearly a spoiled brat.
A Nightmare Classroom Situation To Be Sure
In high school, a student was the son of a major TV company owner and believed he deserved to sit alone in the classroom among empty desks.
Unfortunately, our narrator happened to be the classmate in front of him at the time. Since the school didn't agree with this kid's seating plan (and who would?), they endured constant harassment — being poked and prodded with a ruler and pens whenever they leaned back even slightly. That was probably one of the longest years of their life.
It's Amazing Anyone Let Him Get Away With This
During the last outing our protagonist can recall with their friends and the couple's child, the group went mini-golfing. Each time someone hit their ball, the child would snatch it and fling it across the course.
Naturally, our protagonist quickly learned to retrieve their ball immediately after hitting it for safekeeping. When the child tried to grab it, he stumbled and fell lightly, then lay on the ground pounding his fists and crying. To our protagonist's surprise, the child's parents looked at them like they were at fault. Their family eventually limited the time they spent with this couple due to the child's disruptive behavior.
Not A Conversation They Expected To Need To Have
While working as a camp counselor, our narrator spent a week supervising the granddaughter of a wealthy coffee shop owner. Although the extent of her material spoiling was unclear, it was astonishing that she couldn't grasp that having a rich grandfather didn’t give her exclusive access to the only working tetherball whenever she demanded it.
A ten-minute discussion during playground time was required to explain that, at camp, everyone was treated equally.
Naturally, This Experience Taught Her The Wrong Lessons
On a friend's 16th birthday, her stepfather offered her his one-year-old Hummer. She burst into tears when he handed her the keys, claiming it was both used and "the wrong color."
That same day, they went out and purchased a brand-new one in the color she preferred. Consequences? What are those?
She Has No Idea How Many People Would Trade With Her
As one person recalled, a student at their school frequently complained, saying things like, "Ughh, my parents suck, they never get me anything!"
In reality, she spent winter break in Malibu and received both a MacBook and an iPhone XR for Christmas. It's hard not to wonder what her parents said no to if all of that counts as "nothing."
The Most Horrifying Kind Of Behavior There Is
Our narrator has a cousin whose daughter had a habit of smashing and breaking things as a form of "punishment" when her parents didn't meet her demands. At 15, she received a brand-new car, even though driving wasn’t legally permitted until 17 in their area — simply because she wanted it.
Later, she demanded to take the car on a road trip with friends and threatened her father, going as far as to shamelessly say she would accuse him of molestation if he didn’t cover all the trip expenses.
Too Little, Too Late
Our narrator's ex-friend received a puppy for his seventh birthday and immediately threw a public tantrum because he didn't like the breed.
The puppy was then given to his aunt, and he was told he would never get another pet. Predictably, he threw an even bigger tantrum, claiming he had changed his mind — but it didn’t work. It doesn't sound surprising that this person's an ex-friend.
That Seems Like A Nightmare For A Lot Of Parents
A girl always dressed in designer clothes and frequently mocked anyone who couldn't afford the same. She clearly had no idea how rare her position was, judging by what would happen on outings.
On trips to the mall, our narrator would often leave empty-handed, while the other girl's parents provided her with not one but two credit cards to purchase anything she desired.
If She Got Nothing, She'd Be The Only Surprised One
One girl, whose mother was once an acquaintance of our narrator, would spit in her grandmother's face whenever she refused to give her money.
She also told her grandfather, who suffered from dementia, that she couldn’t wait for him to die so she could use the inheritance to buy herself gifts. It's amazing that everyone involved seemed to let her get away with this unacceptable behavior.
It's Hard To Imagine The Friend's Reaction To This Audacity
At our narrator's friend's house during Christmas, two young girls — aged seven and two — received presents from the group. The seven-year-old immediately began crying upon opening one gift, claiming she didn’t like it. Despite her mother’s attempts to console her, the tantrum continued.
The mother then asked the friend who had brought the present to replace it with a specific brand of pony toy, which was far more expensive than the original gift. She ultimately left the house herself to purchase the desired pony for her daughter.
How Does This Keep Happening?
As a high school student once explained, a girl in the same grade as them had either broken or lost her phone six times over the past year, with her parents replacing each one.
The last time, she even complained because they gave her the second-most recent model rather than the newest version. Only the very finest can have the privilege of being destroyed by her, it seems.
She's Doomed At Instilling Any Values In That Kid
On one occasion, a friend became upset when her child threw a toy at her head, only for the father to shout, "No! You shouldn't have given him that toy! Now YOU apologize to HIM!"
Not only is that a frightening example of the lack of support she's getting from the child's father, but it's a worrying lesson the father insists on teaching his kid.
Life Sounds Like A Dream, But He Didn't Treat It That Way
Our narrator's ex had a friend whose parents were extremely wealthy. He lived in a fancy downtown apartment with just his girlfriend, had no job, and relied entirely on his father for expenses.
His time was spent throwing parties and attending music festivals, even international ones. He had no understanding of money and threw tantrums whenever things didn't go his way.
Was He Under The Impression Everyone Else Liked It?
A classmate once decided he no longer wanted to do his homework. In response, his parents completed everything for him, including writing his papers and finishing his school projects from start to finish.
He may have had it easy then, but the other kids will have actual skills and work ethics when they need them the most.
She Doesn't Realize It But This Is A Sad Sequence Of Events
In high school, a classmate turned 16 and received a brand-new BMW from her parents for her birthday, with the condition that the family's live-in maid could use it once or twice a week for errands.
She considered this unacceptable. Just a week after throwing a major tantrum, she was given a brand-new Land Rover. It's hard not to dread the adult she's going to turn out to be if she doesn't look back on this with embarrassment.
That Conservation Bodes Ill For Multiple Reasons
A friend of the narrator had a son whom they described as clearly spoiled and on a path to becoming a difficult person. A few years ago, around age nine, he was seen playing hide-and-seek in a busy parking lot at night.
When warned, "Hey buddy, maybe you shouldn't be playing hide-and-seek in a busy parking lot at night, you're smarter than that," the boy shot back, “What are you going to do about it? Tell my dad? He never tells me what to do, so why do you think you can tell me what to do?” Our narrator simply laughed and walked away, thinking, “Fair enough, get run over for all I care!”
The Smallest Of Differences, But It Was Big Enough
As one person recalled with fairly vague details, "This 3-year-old refused to eat rigatoni and made her grandpa cook her penne instead. Her parents just let it happen. I went to the bar."
It's hard to underestimate how picky children can be, but our narrator clearly couldn't believe that even a kid that small would demand such an inconsequential change. After all, rigatoni is only slightly different from penne when it comes down to it.
It's Hard Not to Have Delusions When They're Enabled
Our narrator's former friend decided she wanted to become a model, so her parents covered the costs of modeling school and countless photo shoots. While not unattractive, she wasn't truly model material.
She constantly bragged about being a model and talked about upcoming gigs and shoots, even though they were all paid for by her parents to satisfy her.
Say Goodbye To That Kid's Productivity
As a teacher told it, "Years ago, a student of mine was bragging about all the extravagant Christmas gifts he had received that year. If he was to be believed, he received some '15 games per system.'"
While that would normally seem like an outrageous claim, our narrator actually didn't find it hard to believe. As they put it, the child's grades were sufficient evidence that he was telling the truth.
Good Luck Raising Her
As our narrator described, their mom's cousin’s daughter was, and likely still is, notoriously spoiled. She behaved like a TV character, stamping her feet and getting her way while her parents scrambled to satisfy her every demand. Once, when her great-grandfather was very sick, she had to be driven home by an uncle. She flat-out refused to get in the car.
When asked why, she declared, "My daddy drives a Ferrari. I'm not getting in that thing!" The car was a basic Ford Fiesta. Nonetheless, she sat on the ground screaming at the thought of getting into it for any reason. Even after being firmly told to get in, she refused, prompting her uncle to call her father. Her dad then drove all the way back from the hospital to pick her up as if it were no trouble at all. She was six years old at the time.
His Idea Of Poverty Sounds Very Likely, Then
As our narrator once recalled, without giving context as to how they crossed paths with the kid in question, "A teenager once told me that he was going to feel like he was living in poverty if he made anything less than a million dollars a year. The kid lived in Idaho, wasn't even 20 yet, and had never worked a day in his life."
One would think that even if he didn't know how poverty genuinely felt by then, he'd at least have some idea of how unrealistic the idea of making a million a year is for most people.
An Unpleasant Experience For Everyone Involved
Our protagonist's nephew by marriage was widely known for being a jerk and a thoroughly spoiled brat. During one car ride, he kept playing with the window controls, so our protagonist locked them. The boy then switched tactics and began repeatedly pressing the door lock buttons. In response, his uncle stopped holding back gas and refused to open the windows.
It happened to be a time when the smell was particularly unbearable — bad enough to suggest something like colonic necrosis. The boy gagged, coughed, and threatened to throw up, but it made no difference. The uncle kept going. At one point, it even seemed possible the situation might go too far, and our protagonist was about to soil his pants, but the determination to make a bratty kid suffer a little was stronger. "Take that, Evan," he thought.
How Do These Spoiled Kids Get Away with This?
A girl our narrator went to high school with had an entire private living room dedicated solely to her inside her family's house. The space was outfitted with a flat-screen TV, several gaming systems, a desktop computer, massage chairs, and even a pool table.
It wasn’t her bedroom — it was an additional bonus room reserved just for her, separate from the family’s main living room. If her parents ever tried to enter the space, she would scream at them until they left. Somehow, that didn't result in any change in the room or its bounties.
Only The Richest Have An Opportunity To Be This Petty
As our narrator once recalled, "A girl at my high school used to complain that her boat was a foot short of being a yacht." Although it would already be the height of eye-rolling snobbery to complain that her family's boat isn't on the scale of a yacht, it's actually worse than it sounds.
As it turns out, her family did have a vessel large enough to be considered a yacht. This was a separate boat intended only for her, which she somehow wasn't satisfied with.
The Furthest Thing From A Class Act You Can Get
A 30-year-old man named Matt was widely regarded as the most spoiled person our narrator had encountered, adult or child. They describe him as struggling with substance abuse and living with his parents. However, it seems they're such direct enablers that they regularly drove him into the city and even gave him money to secure his fix. He worked at their restaurant delivering pizzas — often using his father's BMW — and never had to worry about real consequences. He could slack off or take days off whenever he pleased without the risk of being fired.
Even so, he constantly complained about how terrible his father supposedly was. On one occasion, he was seen crying on the phone while begging his dad for money. After the call ended, he immediately started complaining because his father, dealing with a slow period at the restaurant, said he couldn’t bring him any cash that day. Eventually, his behavior caught up with him. Not long ago, he ended up in jail — and for all anyone knew, he might still be there.
What Is This Kid, Literal Royalty?
At one high school, there was a student who already had a learner's permit at 14. His parents had bought him a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and he insisted on driving it to school every day so he could park it in the lot and show it off.
Since he wasn’t allowed to drive alone, the family’s housekeeper rode with him, while her son followed behind in another car to take her back home afterward — despite the house being only about two miles from the school.
It's Not The Most Effective Punishment
Although sending kids to their rooms is a classic punishment, it's also kind of an outdated one, as most kids would rather enjoy what they have in there than play outside anyway. Even with this in mind, it came across as a ridiculously minor non-punishment in one child's case.
As our narrator said, "My friend's 10-year-old son is a brat and is always getting sent to his room for one thing or another. The other day, I peeked into the kid's room. Laptop, desktop, TV, and three game systems. Oh my, what a horrible punishment! Amnesty International is going to write letters about this."
What A Disturbing Escalation And A Poor Dog
Someone who used to babysit a group of children once dealt with a particularly difficult situation involving a six-year-old girl who didn't want to finish her homework. The babysitter tried to reassure her, explaining that only a couple of questions remained and that help was being provided so it would go quickly — and that they could play games once it was done. Instead, the child lashed out.
She said she wished the babysitter were dead, threw crackers all over the floor, kicked her dog in the groin, and then claimed she would blame everything on the babysitter to get them fired. Although her parents didn’t believe the babysitter had thrown food on the floor or harmed the dog, the girl still faced no real consequences. The parents simply turned toward her with hands on their hips and said, "What did we say about lying?" before moving on.
