A frugal mom and the ginger bread man cookies.
I was very touched by the article written by Rob of Home Biz Blogger recently titled : Get Your Children in Debt to Keep Them Out of It!
When you read the articles about the rate of foreclosures home, you wonder do Americans parents teach their kids to only buy things when they can afford ? Sure there are circumstances where one is put out of home but it cannot be that kind of figures we are talking about !
Just try keying in “Foreclosure” on Google search, you get 38,500,00 results !
When we were growing up, we did not have a lot of toys and we wore hand down clothings. Though my son is an American born boy, I do not want him to get into the get debts mentality. I hardly buy him any expensive toys neither expensive clothes. If there is one thing that I would not mind to spend on him is his education need. When he was 3 months old , we bought him Florida Prepaid College Plan. The prepaid college plan enables him to go to any state universities which takes part in the prepaid college plan across the 50 states of America when he comes of age.
I have parents who lamented that they do not know how to afford their children future tertiary education but then they can afford to buy their kids the latest toys and the latest gadget, sigh ! I direct my son to more creative kind of activity than having expensive and trendy toys. Activities such as drawing picture with his own imagination and make toys out of the pictures he has drawn. Recently he was into batman ( I think he watched the batman TV show during their free activity session in school) so he made this batman out out of the drawing he drawn.
I personally think most parents would be at lost without Fisher-Price to provide the toys for their babies and kids. What happen to the creativity that is predominant in this society ? Does this kind of home made toy has became extinct in our society ?
There are another things which we don’t have a lot in our household : candies, cookies, chips and other kind of junks food. So when I bought him this ginger bread man cookie, see how thrill he was.
I think a lot of people are penny wise and pound fool. My 4 years old is not a deprived boy. He has traveled more than 15 states in America and has gone to Asian once; and he attends one of the best private school in town. However, as far as I am concern, I try to stir him away from materialism influence, and stir him toward things or activities that promote creativity. I believe self made toys is one of the way that promote creativity in a child so are playing piano and reading. Good habits are difficult to acquire but bad habits are otherwise.
Jamy,
The savings rate in this country is pretty low. It’s wise to invest for your son’s college plan when he was an infant.
I agree that self developmental or educational activities promote creativity such as kids making their own toys.
I made my own toys like a windmill from coconut leaves and ran againt the wind. I polished coconut shells into bangles. I also made my own kites, lanterns, etc. I was an outdoor person.
Today I use those gifts for children’s ministry. When kids from church see me, they would request that I make something for them out of paper, tissue paper, old greetings or clay.
However, it is easier to shower kids with store bought gifts. Their friends have certain gifts and they also want to have the same. The peer pressure is pretty challenging.
I’m glad you are training your son against materialism.
Thank you Jessie for the comment.
Wow, how encouraging! I am always torn between what is best for my kids and what society thinks is best for them (i.e. commercials, parents). My son is always making things with his hands and then playing with them. He is also always looking out to the newest toy. We have noticed that the less T.V. they watch, the less they look out for new toys.
Rachael, you are gifted with your craft works. If there one kind of toy I am willing to part my money is educational related toys