What is the fascination with new?
For example, I put a new bar of soap in the bathtub and Silas's first words were, WOW, a new soap.
We have toys overflowing out of our toy box, books shoved on the book shelves, and clothes spilling out of the drawers. Yet when even a "new" hand-me-down shows up, the kids go crazy. When they win a stupid cheapo toy at a pizza place, they are thrilled for a short amount of time. We have 3 boxes of cereal opened, but they want the unopened one for breakfast.
Are you picking up what I'm putting down? (Jody likes to say that line, and I've never had the right opportunity until now).
Adults are the same way. We have "nothing to wear" as we look in our packed closet, so we go shopping. The shampoo gets low and before I'm out, I want to open a new bottle.
What is the fascination with new? Why can't we be content? Why don't we ever have enough?
I want to instill this in my children, but how?
Jody was telling Silas about being content tonight when he was complaining about not having a new big transformer like his friend Gage. Jody told him that we need to learn to be content with what we do have. That goes for me too. I don't want to compare to what others have and I don't. I don't want to always want the next new thing.
Merry Christmas From The Via Colony
1 week ago
7 comments:
I am the same way. I'm trying hard not to be that way, but I always have been and it's a hard habit to break! Ellie is big on new things, too - but I blame myself for that. (And my Mom, who buys her anything she even looks at.) If you figure out a way to stop it, let me know!
Another thing, besides the always wanting part, that I want to drill into my kids' heads is not to be bragging about the new thing they did get, to their friends. I know it's mostly because they themselves are so excited about it, they can hardly contain themselves. When they see their friends, they want them to see this new toy. Well, I try telling Gage and Emma not to do that, because it makes the other kids sad and/or jealous. How do you get that message across? I read your blog to Gage, because I want him to know how that came across to Silas. I think he understands, in his 6-year-old brain? He just came up to me and asked, "When is Silas' birthday or half-birthday Mom, because I want to buy him a transformer." Or maybe that's not really it either? I don't know, but it is something that has bothered me alot, even when I was a kid, when kids get new things and they want to show them to their friends with the "look what I got, look what I got!" mentality. Maybe I should get to reading past chapter one in Scott's new book "the not so big life" by Sarah Susanka (author of The Not So Big House). I didn't know if I should keep reading though, because all the first chapter did was make me want to remodel our house!?! Maybe I need to get her other book? :-) Thanks for the reminder.
(Disclaimer this is Roman not Jerre').... Tell Silas uncle Roman just needs to know which transformer he wants and it will be in the mail tomorrow(I don't want to send the wrong one)!! No child should be deprived of action figures!!!
One of the ways I'm working to combat the Gimmie is making Carter "earn" any new thing that is not birthday/christmas related! I'm also trying to teach the difference between a WANT and a need! It doesn't always work. Another thing that I want to encourage is that it's ok to pray for things we want, but to be happy even if we don't get them. I don't know... I need to work on contentment myself! Maybe if I can be content my kids will too!
http://kindlingpublications.com/articles/view.php?rid=38
I came across your blog somehow and wanted to recommend this link!
Whoops... I think I messed up the link. It's an article titled "How to Teach Contentment." I'm not a mother myself, but the lady who wrote it is my friend's sister and her kids are incredibly content, it's amazing... I'll try the link again:
http://kindlingpublications.com/articles/view.php?rid=38
Sorry for all the comment drama, but to fix that link type in the number 8 at the end of it and that should get you to the article. :)
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