I get that, I really do. I can't imagine what it must be like to be parenting young children during these times. Never thought I'd feel blessed to have young adults in the house, they're too old to even label as teenagers these days. But what irked me about this particular story, and what irks me about a whole generation of children when I'm feeling like a grumpy Karen, is the sense of entitlement some young people have.

This poor nine-year-old boy from Sydney's north-west was "gutted", his mother said, by the fact he didn't get to go to Europe during the holidays. Yes, I'm assuming a lot of things, this might have been that once in a lifetime trip for this family, but maybe not. So they bought him a puppy instead. Apparently he is "smitten". Let's see how long that lasts once he's back at school and the novelty of being the "poo technician" (that's what he's calling himself) wears off.

Back in my day if I had a whinge about not being able to go on holidays my parents wouldn't have bought a bloody dog, rather they'd send me to my grandmother's to help her wash clothes on the washboard and put them through the wringer.

Not that we went on many holidays. Certainly never overseas. The furthest we went was Surfers Paradise, maybe three times in our lives. Our pilgrimage to the coast was never a given, but it happened more often that not, for two weeks most summers. It was never something my sister and I took for granted, rather it was a very special treat and we knew how lucky we were.

But for every other week of the holidays during our school years we'd pretty much be left to fend for ourselves. We'd drag out the Lego, head to the library to borrow a couple of books, maybe hire a video, build a fortress out of cardboard boxes or blankets and the dining table.

I hate the arguments that it was a different time, that it was safer during the 1970s to wander around the neighbourhood until dark, but it wasn't. We all knew who to avoid, what roads were busier and needed us older kids to hold hands with the little ones as we crossed them, whose house was safe if something was troubling us.

We picked up all this stuff as we went along. Life skills. I worry about generations of kids who have been pandered to and never left to their own devices. Sure there's trouble to be made, but there are lessons to be learned as well.

This story quoted an academic from Western Sydney University who said if children miss out on such things as special holidays there is going to be disappointment. She suggested working out, as parents, what you might be able to do to recreate some of the things that make holidays special. Oh please. Here's dinner on the table every night while I'm struggling to work from home. And no it's not a Greek-inspired feast because we were meant to be in Santorini.

Kids, get used to disappointment. It's character building.

Sure we want to give our children the world, but if there's one thing the world being off-limits should have taught us it's that our little worlds close to home are pretty fantastic. If we can teach our children that, imagine how appreciative they'll be when everything, hopefully, returns to normal.

I have hope. I've spoken to several young families who have made positive changes in their routines. Once ballet, and soccer, and violin lessons were put on hold it made them reassess whether they actually needed all these things in their lives, in their children's lives. They spent more time, together as families, discovering neighbourhoods, and neighbours, and kids would be playing in the streets, on their bikes, in their front yards. A return to simpler times but a way they've decided to maintain.

I want to walk away from all of this knowing I am not entitled to anything, not holidays, not company of friends and family, not even good health. You have to work hard for these things, and be truly grateful if you do have them.