Parenting through privilege: 3 steps to instilling grit and gratitude in kids
I bought my first car for $600 from the school lunch lady.
The 1983 Chevy Celebrity was worth every saved paper-route penny. Complete with a ?Some bunny loves you? bumper sticker and a top speed of 63 mph, she coughed rather than purred and flaked instead of sparkled. The fact that she was the worst vehicle in most parking lots didn?t diminish my pride in earning that car.
I grew up in the ?80s in a family of 10. My mom stayed home and my dad brought home less than $30,000 a year working as a custodian. There were five boys and three girls growing up in a small-town, middle-class Ohio house with one functioning shower. Pretty cozy.
Thirty-some years later, I now live near Atlanta with my own big family. My wife and I work for ourselves, we live in a fine house, and our five young kids are happy, healthy and comfortable. By most measures, our life is pretty grand. And, for a while, that was a problem for me.
I just couldn?t help feeling that life was too dang cushy.
Actually, I was fine with a cushy life for my wife and me. It was my kids I worried about.
I was concerned that by growing up in a more privileged environment, they wouldn?t learn as many important life lessons?they wouldn?t know the value of a dollar or how to change the oil in a car or realize that going out to a restaurant is a treat. Perhaps even worse, I wondered if our current lifestyle actually hindered their opportunity for success in life. Will they be hungry for anything"
Instead of relishi...
-------------------------------- |
|
Leighton Park School Stages Their Very Own Student Election
03-05-2024 08:25 - (
moms )
Crate & Barrel Hampshire Cribs Recalled
30-04-2024 08:00 - (
moms )