Become A Better Parent By Not Purchasing Expensive Toys For Your Child
Tell a baby cootchy-coo, and the baby looks at you, buy him a toy and he looks at the toy. Do you want your child to have a relationship with you or the toy? Chanel, my neighbor’s 3-year old daughter, was always loaded with toys and expensive gifts from her parents. She was promised a new toy every second day. Chanel was a pampered kid, her parents boasted about spending quality time with her whenever they visited us, but this quality time was actually substituted with spending on toys. Was she connected to the purchases they did for her? Or Was she connected to them ? It’s sad but true, Chanel became extremely rebellious once she grew older, and her father stopped buying stuff. Chanel then was heard saying, “My dad hates me these days, I do not like to talk to him.” When asked why did she hate her father, and this is what she replied, “Dad does not care for me, he does not give me money.” Chanel’s dad did not realize that he was spoiling his daughter. According to him, spending was equivalent to quality time. Once he stopped spending, he was hated by his daughter.
It is sad but true, in most families we find this happening often. People spoil their kids thinking they are dedicating time to the kids but actually they are at risk of making the child build relationship with the purchases they do for him/her. The consequence is that their kids start building a relationship with the purchases their parents make for them and do not value their parents. After some time, kids may not like the fact that their parents do not spend money for them. Given this situation, parents then begrudge the relationship with their children and feel they are being taken advantage of. Sadly though, this is how some children have been trained to relate to their parents. Nevertheless, it’s not too late for you if you have small kiddos. Do not commit the mistake of spoiling them by buying excess of unwanted expensive stuff, and think you are giving quality time by buying them toys. Instead start giving them time that is full of activities that are inherently fun for both parent and child.
