We give in to our kids to "make them happy." We work to give them everything they want because they "deserve it."
The truth, if we're honest with ourselves, is that we aren't always giving them what they want to make them happy. We're actually doing it because it's easier for us.
It's easier to buy the new video game than listen to them cry that the 15 they have at home aren't good enough. It's easier to send them off to a friends house for dinner for the third time this week than it is to listen to them tell you that your house is no fun. It's easier to step in for them at every fleeting altercation than it is to let them figure out how to do handle some situations on their own.
The danger is not in giving in to them. The danger is convincing ourselves that we're giving in because it's what is best for them.
Stand up for your kids. Do things to make them smile. Buy them a new video game. But don't lose site of why you're doing it. And don't forget your responsibility as a parent: to give our children every opportunity to be God-loving, productive adults.
Help them succeed. Don't give them success. If you can do that while making them smile, even better.