Too Much Just Ain't Enough
I lament frequently that my kids don't appreciate what they have. They are happy in the moment of receiving something but they don't really appreciate having stuff. My son really wanted a pair of sunglasses (he's 6). They were really cute and on sale so I bought them. He was reasonably pleased and wore them throughout the day. Today? He has no idea where they are. It's the story of my kids' lives. My daughter loves barbies (she's 4). But take care of them? Ha. One of her favorite things is the barbie shoes. And of course these are the most difficult items to keep track of as they always fall off. The result is scattered and mismatched barbie shoes. I've tried buying special containers for the shoes but no success. In fact, usually the container itself gets lost. And if it were found, most likely, it would be empty. *sigh*
My kids just have too much stuff. Even after doing a major overhaul and decreasing their stuff drastically they have too much. Admittedly, I started the problem. There was always so much cool, fun stuff to get them for their birthdays. I imagined how much they would learn from all the innovative educational toys. I imagined expanding their creativity, honing their fine motor skills, opening the doors of their imaginations. In short, I went overboard. Don't get me wrong, we created, we honed, we opened. And now, we disregard. Everything is great - at first. Then it is just stuff.
Birthday's are just around the corner. I've bought my son one toy item and suggested one game to my sister as a possible gift. Even so, the problem remains and I've no idea how to rectify it. I've tried taking toys away both permenantly and temporarily. They know that some kids don't have things. We've bought things to give to others who don't have. But I don't think they really understand what it is to not have. Maybe it's too large a concept for their age without having to live it. How do you teach kids to appreciate what they have?
My kids just have too much stuff. Even after doing a major overhaul and decreasing their stuff drastically they have too much. Admittedly, I started the problem. There was always so much cool, fun stuff to get them for their birthdays. I imagined how much they would learn from all the innovative educational toys. I imagined expanding their creativity, honing their fine motor skills, opening the doors of their imaginations. In short, I went overboard. Don't get me wrong, we created, we honed, we opened. And now, we disregard. Everything is great - at first. Then it is just stuff.
Birthday's are just around the corner. I've bought my son one toy item and suggested one game to my sister as a possible gift. Even so, the problem remains and I've no idea how to rectify it. I've tried taking toys away both permenantly and temporarily. They know that some kids don't have things. We've bought things to give to others who don't have. But I don't think they really understand what it is to not have. Maybe it's too large a concept for their age without having to live it. How do you teach kids to appreciate what they have?
posted by SonSon at 6:54 PM
2 Comments:
A guy I work with is transferring to our chicago office. He is 30, and minus furniture, is able to pack everything he owns into four boxes, put them in his truck, and go. Granted this becomes harder when you are married and have a house, but still, I admire his simplicity.
My parents ran into the same type of prob with my sister and I, and for a long time, we didn't do "presents," but rather did a special event together--like a play (I was huge into musicals), or a game, or a dinner at a place we picked. it resulted in no stuff and created a lot of good memories.
I can so totally relate to this. My kids MUST HAVE certain things. Then a few days later they could care less. They appreciate it at the moment but they don't understand the idea of value.
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