I have heard myself say this numerous times throughout the summer - my kids are bombarded with television ads for new toys, their friends get something new and they just have to have it or they will die, or they look through the Sunday ads and the bright colored Toys R Us ad screams "YOU NEED ALL OF THESE TOYS". Aaaaahhhh!!!!!
My children see me clipping coupons, watching our pennies, and being as frugal as possible because we do have some debt, we are paying for full-time childcare through the summer and we are living in this poor economy right now doing the very best we can. So when they ask for "stuff" it just drives me nutty......I have tried and tried and tried to teach them about giving and appreciating what they have and waiting until holidays and birthdays for gifts, etc. - but the lesson just isn't sticking.
We talk about chores and allowance so that they can earn their own money, but that really hasn't taken very well - it probably has something to do with parental consistency - of which, Randy and I falter on a little! My type A personality probably has a little to do with that.....the mind set of "Oh, just let me do that" gets in the way sometimes! I need to have a talk with myself about that! ha!
I have been very proud of Logan for putting much of his birthday money, well, in fact all of his birthday money into savings. He says he is saving up for an X-Box......mmmmmkkkkkkaaaaayyyyyy......the Nintendo DS, Playstation 2, and Wii apparently aren't enough to satisfy him. I remember my parents buying an Atari set for me from a garage sale when Atari was soooooo over and then I remember having Nintendo 64 video game system when I was in the 5th grade and I think I had all of 4 games TOTAL. There is seriously something wrong with this picture......but what can I do about it???
I feel a little overloaded with technology sometimes.....something I've discussed before. I mean you can call anyone at any time, text them, download music anywhere, reach your Facebook friends whenever/wherever, GPS a location with the touch of a button, Skype someone who lives in Guam, Twitter where you are eating lunch, and there is soooooo much more - the iPads, iPhones, etc., etc., etc. On Sunday I told the children to turn the television off, turn off all video games, and we sat at our kitchen table snapping green beans. I loved it, it made me remember doing that very same thing with my grandmother at her kitchen table.....the kids hated it and Noah acted as if I had sentenced him to jail.
As much as I want to simplify, I just don't see it happening.......how to I turn my technology reliant family into a self-reliant, technology occasionally family? And I have to chuckle that I'm blogging this.....from my computer, with my cell-phone sitting next to me notifying me that I've just received a text......ha! ha!
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