Materialism

Cindy's blog led me to read the story, "Digging Out of Debt." I am constantly amazed at how many people feel entitled to luxuries. The quote from the article that really struck me as indicative of so many people's philosophies was made by Suzie Peterson, the mother in the family, "Suzie, however, has no regrets. She saw the vacations as a way to bond with her daughters. 'The cruise was my gift to my family.'" Huh? You need a cruise to bond with your daughters? I bond with my daughters as we do the dishes or wash the car or play board games or over the dinner table. This family of 5 (parents plus 3 children) say they can't live on their MONTHLY income of $8,750. Yes, that was monthly income of $8,750. The whole article was mind-boggling. Recently on some talk-show (I think Oprah) there were families in which the parents complained that their kids were spoiled. Again, HUH? The parents complained the kids were spoiled. Um...isn't that the parents job? To make sure the kids aren't spoiled? After much discussion, the parents said they hated saying "No" to their children. They didn't really like conflict, so they gave in to the demands of their children (some of whom were only 10 years old). The parents whined that they had to give in because the kids would beg and beg and the parents just couldn't take it and had to give in! I sometimes feel like I live in an alternate reality than these people. I taught my children not to beg when they were 2! They both tried the ploy a few times growing up (usually after going to a house of a friend who begged and got what they wanted). In my house we have the "Two Time Rule." This saved us from much aggravation. You can only sing a song 2 times in a row. You can only repeat a statement 2 times. You can only watch the Barney video 2 times in one day. So...asking for the same thing more than 2 times breaks that rule. Consequences are varied but often include the removal of the very thing being asked for. "Can I have ice cream?" "No." "Oh, please.... Can't I have some ice cream?" "No." "Mom....I want some ice cream." Not only do you not get ice cream, but there are no treats (desserts, whatever you want to call them) for a week. As they got older, a simple "Are you sure you want to ask about that again?" from me usually gets the response, "That's okay." They had clothes taken away, toys confiscated, TV time eliminated. Would it be 'more fun' if I could always say "Yes"? Of course, but parenting is a responsibility, not something you do for fun. There are moments of great joy and fun, but that is not the goal.
The biggest problem I see from all this materialism, is that these people are so empty even with all they have. Nothing is ever enough. This is where faith comes in. With faith, you look to God to fill you up, not things. You search out the simple things because they tend to keep you connected with God. How sad, that so many children are being raised with the idea that if only you have ______________(fill in the blank with whatever) you will be happy (successful, fulfilled, etc). No. Nothing outside of God can do that.
Do I get caught up in materialism? Of course. I've been struggling with this lately. I'm going to a surprise birthday party in February. It's friends we haven't gotten together with in a long time. I want to look good. I've been trying to figure out what to wear, and the idea of buying a new outfit has been crossing my mind. She's an interior designer and dresses accordingly. But, these are my friends, and my slacks and top that are a little old will be just fine. Sure beats living in debt! The party's not until February. I still have 3 weeks to wrestle with the temptation of buying a new outfit. Having read the story of the Peterson's, I think I'll be able to resist.