As a spoiled teen flaunted her expensive purses and lavish shopping sprees, she insisted upon receiving a $5,000 monthly allowance to fund her extravagant taste. However, as soon as her mother heard how entitled her daughter had become, she came up with an even better offer.
When a single mother named Nina came to terms with just how spoiled her teen daughter had become, she knew she had to act quickly. In an effort to correct her parenting fails and give 15-year-old Nicolette an upbringing that would better prepare her for the real world, she wrote a desperate plea to the Dr. Phil show. Fortunately, she received a response.
When it comes to raising children, there is an infinite number of ways to encourage bad behavior. Of course, constantly giving them unearned privileges and possessions is one of the surest ways to do so. This makes it incredibly difficult for financially successful parents to teach their children the value of hard work and merit.
The Beverly Hills teen was asked to be on the popular show, which she and her mother gladly accepted. What Nicolette didn’t realize, however, was that she was about to receive a shocking wakeup call.
At the beginning of the segment, Nicolette brags that she receives $5,000 each month as an allowance from her mother. She obnoxiously flaunts her designer purses and clothing and admits that she sees nothing wrong with blowing thousands of dollars in a single shopping spree, which she does regularly. She even claims that she must have the newest luxury cars or else she’ll throw a tantrum until her mother concedes.
“My mom refers to me as a Beverly Hills brat,” Nicolette said. “It’s true I’m a brat and I’m not going to change.”
In an attempt to teach Nicolette the importance of responsibility, Nina agrees to cut her daughter’s monthly allowance to just $1,000 a month, which will only go to necessary expenses. Seeing her lavish lifestyle being stripped away, Nicolette makes a panicked plea to her mother and Dr. Phil to give her at least $2,500 per month. Unfortunately for the spoiled teen, this is just the beginning of her rude awakening.
“I want my mom to understand that I can’t live off $1,000 a month, and I grew up on a certain lifestyle,” Nicolette explains. “She can’t just take that away from me immediately. It’s the only life I’ve ever known.”
Of course, Nicolette is not only about to lose her personal driver, nanny, and costly shopping sprees. She soon finds out that she must get a job, which causes her to break down into tears. Additionally, Dr. Phil informs her that he has also arranged for her to volunteer at a soup kitchen so that she can see how less fortunate people live.
Of course, Nicolette fought both her mother and Dr. Phil the entire time, insisting that she would never get a job or take anything less than $2,500 a month. However, she soon discovered that her mom was determined to change her ways, forcing the spoiled teen to accept the reality that her free ride was over.
“I feel like a peasant,” Nicolette said. “I can’t live like this anymore. I’m always out of money. If you ask me, I think my mom should be giving me at least $2,500 a month just to cover my basic expenses.”
Nicolette initially claimed that being cut off from her allowance and forced to work made her feel like a “peasant.” However, she soon came to understand just how fortunate and privileged she is after she encountered homeless and destitute individuals at the soup kitchen.
Of course, Nicolette still struggled with accepting the fact that she’ll have to earn her way instead of relying on her mother to fund her excessive spending. However, she admitted that she is learning to appreciate the lifestyle that her mother has graciously given her.
Nicolette has agreed to make certain changes, but she still doesn’t want to get a job. Unfortunately for her, Nina insists that she is sticking to the plan Dr. Phil laid out for them, proving that Nicolette will have to earn her keep or do without.
