Does this make a kid SPOILED?!?

If you go online regularly and read the news headlines, I'm sure you've come across this article about the 3-year-old who didn't catch the baseball.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/27/texas-father-says-couple-was-oblivious-to-crying-son-after-foul-ball/

Have you ever noticed that these articles bring out the best and worst in people?  Comments will range from "That kid is a spoiled brat" to "How rude of the couple!"

The announcer clearly made it into a situation but I get it as he was being funny and sarcastic not 100% serious.  More like, "Look at that couple waving the ball in front of that crying child's face.  They should offer it to the child."

I don't think the couple should have given the child the ball.  I think the parents were handling the situation just fine.  The child clearly calmed down about it and the ball club offered the other ball as a nice gesture.

I've been out with my child many time and people have given my children stuffed animals, pins, and trinkets - out of the kindness of their hearts.  Half the time the people would just say, "Here, this is from us.  Your children are adorable."  I tell them they didn't have to and thank them and have my children thank them.  Sometimes people do random acts of kindness but I never teach my children to expect it.  In fact, I regularly drill into their heads that they don't always get their way.

So what's the big deal about this kid?  Doesn't look like the parents stood up and demanded the child a ball or else they would sue!  I don't see the child as being a spoiled brat or the couple who caught the ball as mean.  It was a normal situation in life.  The 3-year-old acted like a 3-year-old.  He was over-charged with excited emotion about the ball coming his way and reacted in tears when it was not caught.  He calmed down with his mother's consoling and the ball club gave him a ball.  Sure the parents could have said, "No thanks" but they truly looked appreciative and so was the child.  They never said anyone OWED them anything.  I'm sure this child is not going to grow up expecting everything handed to him on a silver platter.

Kids are kids.  It's nice to see kindness in the world.  The kid would have went on with or without the ball.