MATERIAL GLUTTONY

I attended a 3 year old's birthday party yesterday and was struck by the material gluttony that was bestowed on this child. Society now encourages parents not to overfeed their child and are made aware of the dangers of being an overweight child. Yet parents have a tendancy to overfeed our children with material food.

She had so many gifts that she didn't even open them after an hour..............gifts like a tricycle, an art desk, dolls, Dora stuff of all kind. Her cake alone cost $50.00! Her parents are not well to do....they are struggling like the rest of us. It was as if all involved in this child's life were competing to give the most or give the best. In the long run, this kind of indulgence will only do harm to a child.

I think of the children my son teaches in Greenland and how little they have and how contented they are with little things that most kids here toss aside. Things like glow in the dark bracelets, $1.00 dvd's of old fairy tales, balsam airplanes, candy canes, stickers, Dollar Store junk/trinkets, etc. When you don't have, you appreciate what is given to you, no matter what the amount. To these children, it is not what is given or how much is given, it is the fact that someone cares enough to give in the first place.

While Life is good and in abundance, what does a child expect out of Life if indulged in such a way? Will the child expect a free ticket throughout Life just because they occupy a space on this earth? Will they expect that Life owns them something and there is no need to strive for things on their own? More importantly what would that child do if they were denied this material abundance? Could they find happiness in getting less?

Reflecting back on my own child raising years, I look back at what my kids had and didn't have. due to situations beyond my control. Money was not easy to come by for me. They always had presents at Christmas and birthdays, had the special parties other kids had, had new clothes, etc. but they did not receive in abundance. I am sure they wanted more, but the accepted what they had and were happy. My kids knew what it was to take responsibility for their own beings at an early age. They learned that while certain things are owed to them by a parent, other things needed their efforts to succeed.

They learned the satisfaction one derives from working toward a goal and achieving it, whether it be for a more expensive pair of sneakers or some Life accomplishment. Did they turn out to be whinny adults who resented not having in abundance? No, they learned the value of living within their means and the acceptance of Life as it was. They gained pride in hard work and in striving to become involved in their own materialistic gains. They are generous and giving people.

While giving to your child is accepted, material gluttony isn't. Part of the responsibility of being a parent is to teach your child to stand on his/her own feet and take responsibility for oneself.

So would this little 3 year old have been less happy if she had only gotten a tricycle, some dolls, some clothes? I doubt it. The overindulgence seemed to overwhelm her and she never had time to just sit and appreciate what she had and enjoy it for what it was worth. What will the parents have to do in the years to come to "top" this birthday? Continue to fatten their child til it becomes so martialistically obese that she can't even stand on her own in years to come?

PREVIOUS TRIVIA QUESTION: What is duck and cover? A drill for school children in the 1950's, for use in case of atomic attack. When you heard the siren, you were to have ducked down and find cover, usually your desk.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What did all really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Women over 50 don't have babies because they would put them down and forget where they put them