I can recall the first five or six years of my life being glorious, well, what I can remember of them anyway.
From what I recall, to me, the world was all about me. I was the center of it and I knew it, especially since the adults around me tended to reinforce that. Being an only child is something I'm certain contributed to my prolonged sense of entitlement as being more important than anything I saw. It diminished, rather quickly, around the age of 10 from what I can remember and conversations with my parents.
Is there an age where complete self-involvement begin to subside, as a child naturally begins to think of others with and before themselves and their needs? At some point, a child's idle conversation should strive to be more engaging of others, rather than self-narrative, right around the point that a child realizes that stating their immediate needs or desires might not be appropriate due to the circumstances at hand.
I know that being an only child has quite a bit to do with this. When you're the oldest, and a new sibling comes into your life, you get less attention and that's just something you have to deal with. Being born already having a sibling makes this just something that's always been the way it is.
Still, at what age (only child or not, though I suspect it might differ) should I be concerned that a child is still excessively self-involved and indulgent, and what can I do as a parent to help them to a healthier level of it?