Hello Everyone,
Here's wishing you all a nice Thanksgiving. Recently I was talking to a young man, filled with so much more wisdom and courage that most of us have. It's the courage not to do what most of us have been brought up to do. Here's the list of what we have been trained to do: Spend, build up credit cards over and beyond what we can afford, become stressed so much it affects our relations ships and more important out health, teach our children to become greedy little people, weigh and measure all of the, why didn't I get what he got stuff, and make others rich at the expense of all of the people spending. http://maggieshelpcenter.com
Look at the stress to start with. How many times do you say to yourself, will he/she like this? Do I have the right size & color? Did I spend enough, and I really can't afford to spend more. Now for the kids. How many of us tell the kids to make a list? Poor choice. Why are we doing this and who started it all? Ever hear of group think? This is almost universal thinking. Think for yourself and do what's right for you and your family.
What are we teaching kids about giving them so much? We are teaching them that they deserve a bunch of gifts for nothing every year because "everyone else does it". They can get poor grades, show disrespect for adults, parents, teachers, neighbors, and even destroy what they already have. Let's say they don't do all that but are very nice children. Does that mean you own them your financial life by going into debt, spending your last full paycheck? No, what you owe them is to teach them how to be giving children. Don't turn this around and say well we're giving adults. If you do, good, but who and why are you giving. How many are unemployed, sick, without homes.
Take a child out of school for one day and take him or her shopping for groceries for one family, or a winter coats, blankets, or even pay a utility or rent bill, but only what you can afford without going into debt. My daughter is adopting a family for Christmas. My son's wife asked for gently used clothes for her newborn, and they can afford new clothes, but that's not the point. They believe as many do, save the earth, but save the earths people.
My pledge this year is to give one gift for each person, but mainly I will make things. Yes, I know everyone can't make things, but if you believe in the Christmas story or not-for the sake or argument-WWJD=What would Jesus Do? DO you really think he wants us to live "paying" for a man made holiday kind of Christmas the rest of the following year. Personally I do believe in Jesus, and also believe he would want us to nurture and help another rather than spend money at TOYS R US-MACY"S- FAO SCHWARTZ , and on and on. He would want us to make sure we have enough to feed our families, pay our bills, not have this false sense that this time of year is to create greedy children and have them turn into greedy adults, only and always expecting mom and dad to bail them out of everything, after all...
What do you really owe your children?
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