Therapy for kids’ electronic retail habit
I came across a capital idea today that I wanted to share.
I’ve been observing that my kids have developed a habit of home shopping, even at 4 and 10 (sorry, 11, as of today). Alex announces after every TV commercial, “Mom, I want that.” He even explained to me in great detail last week that I needed the Butler purse organizer, after seeing an ad for it countless times on Nickolodeon, articulating every benefit in a way that was impressive for a four-year-old. Andy recently developed a habit of browsing online, longingly surfing through MLB.com, DicksSportingGoods.com and BestBuy.com, making notes on little scraps of paper (hints, perhaps?). So, I’ve been thinking lately about how to curb their desires, or at least moderate what seems like growing consumerism.
Thanks to media, products and stores come right into our family room; no need to leave the house. Which is great for busy moms (and other adults) who can save time and money with this convenience. But I want to discourage my kids from shopping as entertainment.
This post was just the idea I’d been looking for. Ali Edwards keeps a Moleskine ”Want Book” by her computer monitor with a running list of items she wants. Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta gives the added suggestion of noting the date of the entry, which I love. As time goes on and items are no longer of interest, they get crossed off. And when an item stays on the list for 30 days or longer, it’s a keeper and may really be something worth purchasing.
Of course I like this idea for myself, too. But as a parent I love the concept of teaching kids to spend carefully and want them to begin to be aware of one of life’s big rules: What seems urgent today most likely will be history tomorrow. As a conversation with some friends last night underscored, teaching kids to handle money could be one of the most important lessons. I’m all over it!
Keeping a list by the computer seems to be an interesting concept. One downside I see is that it will remind you of what you want, in essence offering a tiny little reenforcement every time you see it on the list. If you can’t simply remember what it was you wanted 30 days from now, then obviously it was not that important. However, if I kept a running list, there is no telling how big it might grow! I think the true message here is to not be an impulsive consumer.
Also, it seems to me that the want list of the much younger set (3-6 yrs) is directly related to how recently the item was last seen on the Cathode Ray Tube.
I guess I’ll just have to test the Want Book’s effectiveness! After reading your comment, I realized one reason I was charmed by the Want Book concept is that I have warm memories of when my mom posted a “Wish List” chart in our kitchen when I was a teenager. I thought it was such a revolutionary idea then, probably because I was astounded at the prospect of actually getting gifts that I wanted (vs. the often random ones I was accustomed to).
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