THE happy memories

Sometimes, parents can get caught up in showering their children with the latest electronic gadget, the most expensive sneakers and every new toy and treat that rolls off the market. It almost seems children today are born with an innate sense of materialism and “keeping up with the Jones’” that parents are all too happy and too eager to encourage. Keeping your child grounded and grateful, even though all the commercial noise – literally from television ads and figuratively from peers – is not as daunting as trying to hit the jackpot at an online casino. Actually, if you equip your kids with the right set of mental and emotional tools, they will be happier, healthier and better prepared for adulthood than kids who are granted every little wish and whim. Creating memories from family experiences will help your children realize just how fortunate they are to have a great family and loved ones much more than a plethora of gifts and gadgets would. It is important to remember to keep family traditions alive around meaningful times of year like holidays and birthdays. That homemade birthday cake you bake every year will stick around in your child’s fond memories much longer than that pile of presents will. And when they grow up, that is the first thing they will think about when reminiscing about the past. If you make occasions special with feelings and love rather than material things, it is not so difficult to tame the greediness in your child and foster humility and generosity.

Building meaningful memories with your children does not have to cost a lot of money – and in fact will better serve your child’s character in the long run. They will remember the fun times and laughs together far more than they will recall that every holiday and birthday was brimming with every last wish list item.