It’s something that stresses parents every time they look at the toy mountain that threatens to engulf the lounge room.
Or the snake-pit of chargers that have to accompany any family outing longer than the average battery life.
How do we make our kids grow-up grateful and not spoiled, entitled br*ts? Or, you know, Donald Trump?
Well, Rebecca Sparrow has some answers. Because it’s something she worries about. A lot.
Listen to Bec tell her The Well co-host Robyn Bailey what she does to keep her kids’ eyes wide open:
Bec wonders if we are all spoiling our kids with material things because we feel guilty about not spending time with them. “When we were growing up we had a lot of time with our parents, but we didn’t have a lot of stuff.” Now, Robin thinks, we’ve inverted that.
Here are what these two smart women try to do to readdress the balance.
Teach your kids to pass along to those in need.
Bec and her daughter Ava regularly visit a site called Givitkids where children can donate their toys or clothes to another child who’s in need. For example, a child who’s in hospital might ask for Lego, or trading cards, and your child can send along some in good condition that they’re not using any more. The whole process is anonymous. “Ava and I regularly go on to the Givit kids website,” Bec says. “It’s teaching kids to look around and say, ‘I don’t play with that toy anymore…’