At times parents feel pressured to “keep up with the Joneses.” Whether it’s more screen time, $10 from the tooth fairy, their own Facebook page, a birthday celebration in Disney Land, etc., parents are feeling the pressure to let their kids have things that in their hearts feels wrong. They see other parents giving their kids things that they, themselves, can’t compete with and/or have moral qualms with.
My advice is this: Be yourselves! You have your own family philosophy and it is the right one for YOUR family. You want your kids to grow up believing in themselves and knowing they have value based on who they are and how they treat people, not on what they own.
That’s not to say that you can’t splurge sometimes, you can, but model responsibility by doing it when there’s extra money in the budget and do it because you want to, not because you feel pressured to.
But what do you say to that adorable little face when he asks why he can’t have a TV in his room like his friend, Jon, has?
Maybe this:
“I’m not Jon’s mom. I’m your mom. Every family does things their own way and in our family we have the TV in the family room. We like to make popcorn and watch movies all together.”
Just be very matter of fact and stick to what you know is right for YOU.
You have many things to offer your children, but the most valuable of these is your time and your love. You are not only trying to provide an ideal childhood experience for your kids, you are modeling what it is to be a parent and a family. If they should grow up and not have much in terms of material wealth, make sure they have loads of unconditional love, integrity, empathy and imagination with which to raise their own kids.