- More things because they begged you for it at the counter or each shop you went into.
- Your face glowing with a screen reflecting the white light while you tap on your screen
- A full calendar of events, activities, places and in and outs of the car to get there for your family.
- Huge piles of clothes– how many pants and tops do they really need?
- Instant. Instant everything because we have the disposable income ( or not) to get it.
5 things my kids can do with less of would have been a good title too. Don’t get me wrong- we’re not a perfect family at all. While I can pat myself on the back to some of the things on the list above there are still some that ring loud and clear for us.
It’s no good me just tackling this list myself. It’s something that we as a family unit need to embrace.
Buy this for me
We went out and my youngest asked all the time if we could buy him something. So much so that his older brothers were getting annoyed…. and that takes a lot.
We’d gone to price up some toys and books.
- We’d had the conversation about we’re going to look not buy.
- We all gone deaf when he’d asked.
- We had speed past potential hotspots.
- We listened to him.
- We’d stopped and looked.
- We’d reminded.
- We’d been firm.
- We’d allowed for his age……We’d tried.
Another time once I was brave enough to take the boys shopping again the youngest started his barrage. His dad takes them shopping and window shopping regularly and reports exactly the same song is sung. I was determined that we wouldn’t have the same situation….there must be another way. We had much more time this time- because maybe it was time. I like to breeze in, check and breeze out. Maybe the LO had a different pace to me?
I wondered if he really really wanted to have it or he was really wanting to share his love of it. Bit like how we can be thirsty but we eat something. So I hit on a fun idea. When you want to say-Can you buy this for me? just for fun I want you to say…… I really like this…..
I’ve tried it once and want to try it a few more times before sharing how it went for us.
It’s not always easy to find an answer to things that you know you’d love to be different in your family. We’re on our way. Trailing a solution and developing some family habits.
What can your kids do with less of…….?
