Tip of the Month
(Tips Archive)
Paradigm: “When I Was Growing Up, I Had So Little That I Want My Kids Never To Experience The Poverty That I Went Through.”
Paradigm Shift: “Focus On Giving Your Kids What You Have, Instead Of Focusing On Providing Them With What You Didn’t Have.”
You know what I have discovered while working with families all over this great country as I organize their homes and offices? Almost everywhere I go, I see moms and dads struggling and muddling through mountains of toys that they have worked to supply their kids with, and few kids appreciate it. Parents think that if they don’t get their kids all these toys, educational games, and computer programs, they are depriving them of much needed intelligence.
Here’s a idea. Instead of giving your kids something that is perishable and will just add to the junk heap in some landfill, try giving them the following: Take them to the zoo; start taking them on walks in the park; get them off the computer and out into nature; teach them how to serve by requiring them to take a few hours each month and visit a hospital or work with Habitat For Humanity; start having just plain good family time once a week at home without turning on the TV. Sit around the fireplace and begin developing family rituals that they will remember for years to come. You can find all kinds of things to do with your kids that are free. I’ve just given you a few ideas to spur your imagination. More than anything that my dad bought for me, all I wanted when I was growing up was for him to come out and play ball with me and the neighborhood kids. That’s all I remember that I wanted.
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