Here is my rant for the day...I find the more I time I spend out of my house that my generation is obsessed with having more no matter the consequences. It seems as though we were born wanting what our parents have without having to work for it. Yes, I have to admit I was one of those people. I was raised by very generous older parents who had the resources and desire to give me what I wanted. Robbie and I often joke that I never heard the word no as a child (not far from the truth). I came into adulthood with a nice savings account that aloud me to purchase anything I wanted. Yes, I was smart with my money for the most part, but I do love to shop too!
Getting married at the age of 22 was a huge wake up call for me. I quickly learned that being newlyweds at 22 meant not having everything my parents have after 49 years of marriage. It meant hand-me-down couches, living in a rental for eight months, and not always having the biggest and the best of everything. This was the beginning of me learning how to be content with my possessions and place in the world.
After Robbie lost his job when Piper was born my view of being content changed and grew dramatically. Robbie, being the sole income provider for our family, was out of work for almost a year. By growing and changing our idea of contentment we were able to keep our home, pay our bills and feed our family. Was it always fun...no way! Was it a challenge on our marriage...YES! By God's grace we survived.
Now that Robbie has been at a stable job for six months our lives feel much more normal and a little less stressed. This in no way has changed how I view my own contentment. If anything it has made it stronger. I am thankful for being happy where I am today and not having the desire to always have more and better.
That being said, how do I teach my girls about being content. I know a lot is modeling it for them and part is experiences that they will go through on their own. My desire is for them to be content with their here and now and trust God for their future.
2 comments:
For me, the older I have gotten, the easier it gets to be content. I think it has to do with being secure in who I am as a person and not needed to compare myself to others all the time.
As for teaching this to kids, I think the hardest part will be the teenage years. I think all of us struggle with that around that time. I want to be able to give my kids nice things, but I also think it is important for teenagers to have a job so they learn responsibility as an employee and responsibility with money. But, as the kids are growing up, I will try to make them save their "own money" for certain toys and stuff so they learn to save and know they can't have everything whenever they want it.
As you know, we didn't have a lot of new stuff around the house. Much of it was hand-me-downs just as you mentioned. I remember telling teenager Robbie that I wished his dad and I could have given him more. His answer surprised me and took away my guilt: We've done alright.
The kids both had paying jobs since before they started school, and they bought big buck things with the money they earned. When we became quite strapped financially they were expected to pay for their own clothes, entertainment, etc., at the ripe old ages of 10 and 12.
I believe that not giving (or not being able to give) them everything they wanted made them appreciate what they had, and that if they wanted something, it might be a while before they got it. Maybe a few months, maybe a few years.
I trust that you and Robbie will come up with a solution that seems right for the girls. More than likely it will be somewhere in the middle of your two family experiences.
Post a Comment