[quote=DWCAP][quote=Cabal]
In retrospect, I should feel lucky to still be married after 21 years. My wife and I are frugal except with our children which we spoil without hesitation.[/quote]

If you or your friends are ever wondering why the younger generations dont seem to have the same values as your generation did, your answer is right there at the end of your quote.[/quote]

First, don’t presume to know my definition of spoil. Did we buy junior a new beemer for his 16th birthday? No, he got the 7 year old beater with 130K miles. Did we fill their time with enriching activities like little league and soccer, send them to nice summer camps, take them on nice vacations, and buy them too many presents at Christmas ? Yes we did and that’s about the extent of it. As for those parents that really do spoil their kids, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are destined to be self-centered, demanding monsters. What you’re talking about is poor parenting skills and that exists in all generations, past and present.

Second, the point of my post was not to rant on the shortcomings of the X,Y, and Z generation, nor to debate the specific goods & services that men and women bring to the marriage horse trading table, but to point out the entitlement to escalating requirements on the female side in comparison to previous generations. There are exceptions of course. But in general, whether its suzie homemaker or the most blatant golddigger, the bar has been raised so high that disappointment is inevitable. If past generations of women were content with family, home and companionship, many women today wouldn’t even consider that the prerequisite. Financial success and all its perks (house, car,vacations) is just one component. If your not the perfect father, provide 24/7 attention, fit, attractive, sense of humor, dress a certain way, etc then you’re inevitable a disappointment. These expectation are independent of the economy. I suggested two factors possibly fanning these residual entitlement tendencies; recent bubbles (stock & RE) and modern feminism. If you or anyone have other theories, I’m listening.