School’s Out. What Do you Want to Give your Kids this Summer?

It feels good to give our kids what they want. When your child asks for something and you give in, and see the smile on their face, you think, “that was worth it.” As parents, we love to do things that make our children smile. But have you ever stopped to think of your motivation behind that desire?

For many of us, it is the desire to give them things that we never had. While that is not bad, or frankly, unique to the current generation of parents, the question is, does it help them in the long run?

Tim Elmore, founder of the non-profit, Growing Leaders, said,
“Can we genuinely say that giving them something we never had growing up, actually helps them when they’re grown up?”

If we are honest, for most of us, the answer is no. So then how do we give our children something that will help them develop into future leaders?

When we say, “I want to give my child what I never had,” do we mean emotionally or financially? Do we mean intellectually or materially or spiritually? My experience tells me it is not about “needs,” it is about “wants.” And quite often, it is not about their wants, it is about our wants.”
-Tim Elmore 

The greatest gift we can give to our children is to NOT give them everything they want, or even what we want for them.

Through this we teach them the principles of hard work and thankfulness, and we reap the benefit of a child who grows up to be financially independent, responsible, and not a spoiled brat.

Click here to read more about this from Tim Elmore.