Voice Lessons for Parents by Wendy Mogel

Author:Wendy Mogel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribner

EXPERIENCES OVER THINGS

It’s never too early to teach children the difference between money and value. One way is by saying, “In our family we often prefer to enjoy experiences instead of things.” You can explain that many consumer items offer limited, predetermined satisfaction, unlike experiences, which deliver in different ways and over time. There is the pleasure of planning and anticipating the event, experiencing it, telling stories about it afterward, and savoring the memories.

“We went to Yellowstone, saw a really big brown bear all by himself in the woods, but he didn’t even see us at all!”

“Mom let me choose two scary movies for a horror-movie marathon. We slept until one in the afternoon the next day.”

“There were lots of kids at the beach with kites, and we had a kite race to see whose went the highest. One kite got mixed up with another and they both crashed!”

With an older elementary school child a parent can explain this concept by reminding him of a family trip, then asking what he recalls and if he’s told a friend about it. The parent can share her memory, too, and they can compare. A useful tip about timing: it’s best not to use this as a maneuver when saying no to buying something the child is longing for. Instead, put it in the context of explaining how the family makes decisions about money, for example, or why you’ve decided to put a family trip in the budget for the summer rather than buy a new but unnecessary car.

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