As a mom, I have an analogy. If I am run down, tired, hungry, depressed, I am not a very good mother, because my reserves are depleted. I have nothing extra to give to my children. If I am functioning well, so are they. While it may seem noble indeed to tap myself out on their behalf, in the end it does them a disservice, not only the obvious ones, but the more intangible (and more detrimental) one of endowing them with a sense of entitlement.
