Helping Kids Appreciate What They Have

Did you know that on average, kids are exposed to 360, 000 ads by the time they graduate from high school? Yikes!

It’s no wonder they are always under tremendous pressure and influence to get their hands on all the newest fashion staples: the most stylish clothes, the hippest shoes, the trendiest hair accessories. In turn, parents feel the tremendous pressure to buy those things for them!

As most parents know all too well, sometimes it’s easier to just give in to what our children want than have to battle with them why they can’t have what they want. Yet on the other side, we also know that getting our children everything they want is not a good idea either. It's our job to help them understand why that's so.

The key is to help them appreciate what they already have… sounds so simple, but it’s no way simple when kids are directly targeted daily by media, even toddlers!

Try your best to make them understand how fortunate they are on a global level. Show them examples in your own community of people who may not be as fortunate as they are. If there are opportunities in your community for them to participate in programs to help the homeless, by serving meals for example, encourage them to join. Nothing beats a first-hand experience. Your kids will come back with a better idea of how less fortunate people live.

Such experiences will not only help them appreciate what they have, but it will help foster in them a sense of social responsibility. It will be very beneficial to them and to the world around them if they can begin learning at an early age to appreciate what they have and to share when they can, and give back.