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Back Kids and thier toys by Mike Adams There are two things kids love the most: playing and their toys. Some of the hardest lessons to teach kids relate to having and getting toys and belongings. I think parents have to really be careful when buying “things” too much. One of the main reasons is the degree to which they learn to value what they have. If they get new toys all the time I believe it somewhat degrades the value of their other toys. It is also our job to teach them to care for their things. I will be the first to admit I sometimes give in quite easily, but I also try to instill the value of caring for belongings. One basic example of this philosophy is to make it routine that your child pick up and put away after playing. Especially when the child is young or this idea is in the beginning stages of being taught and learned, the child will complete the task, well, like a child, often leaving the parent the job to re-do at a later time. Sometimes I notice kids might not pick up everything all the time, but if you remind them they remember and you gradually see the process becoming more routine. Some kids that I have had experience with seem to display a lack of respect for belongings, treating them as easy come, easy go. One sign of this I have encountered frequently is a child who brings out several toys but, at clean-up time, can’t recall where any of them are. To me, this is a sign that they do not value things or toys much. I think another good thing to do when your child wants a new toy or priviledge is to have them earn it. You can do this with a chore or a life lesson that they are struggling with like brushing teeth, homework or housework. This seems to give them value in getting and caring for things. Another good thing for parents to do is care for all of what you have. Kids see everything that you do–that is how they learn, by watching you, the parent. It also amazes me to see which toys they really value the most. Sometimes, I think we all assume, kids are most “wowed” by the bigger, more costly toys. Although the large ticket items definitely can make the best toy “A-list,” the most loved, endeared, “I can’t live a day without you” toys are frequently the small, cheap, (often quite horrific) little items that were most definitely going straight to the trash until, just as you opened the trash door and almost dropped the worthless-in-adult-world item into the can you hear your child calling out, “Have you seen my…? I guess that’s just genuine love–not because of cost or coolness. Sometimes it’s just the simple things; perhaps if we stop to listen, children might just be the best teachers of the lesson to enjoy the small things in life. Author's Biography: my name is Mike Adams. I love my daughter so much and watching her grow up is the most amazing thing in the whole world. This is why I decided to host this blog; to tell my family, friends and the world some of my adventures in being a Dad. I also wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way.
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