do my kids have too much for their age?

Question

my kids are 8 & 4 and they both have bunk beds, tvs, dvd players, satalite, nintendo ds, mp3 and portable dvd players for the car. should i slow it down or is that the norm??

Answer 1

Slow it down some, but not entirely. There is no reason to give children everything they want; in fact it sometimes does more harm in the long run.

To paraphrase Robert Heinlen, "Keep your kids long on hugs and short on pocket change." You do not need to buy your children's love with outrageous gifts; just love them and spend as much time with them as possible.

As for future gifts, I suggest books that they will like, especially if mom and dad read the stories to them.

Answer 2

I was with you until you go to the satelite, nintendo, and mp3 player. Jeez woman. My kids are 10 and 5. They do have a TV, DVD player, Playstation2 and Gameboys. I sometimes think that's too much because what will they have to look forward to if they get everything they want now? It's nice that you can afford to buy all that stuff fot your kids but you have to draw the line somewhere. Do they really need to watch TV in the freakin car? Can't they just shut up and ride like everyone else? LOL But seriously it's going to be hard for you to slow down at this point because you've already spoiled them.

Answer 3

Sounds like they have plenty to me. When I was eight years old it was 1955. My father was dying of his war wounds (He finally left us on December 12th 1957, God Bless him). In those days there was no welfare and my mother had to work long hours in a cotton mill to pay the rent and buy food and clothes. My father was in and out of hospital having had a lung removed wher he had been shot and we lived on a council estate in a poor part of town. Nobody had much in those days and rationing after the war had just ended. Most of our pleasure came from playing games with each other rather than from material things. My only toys were a small three wheeled bike that my uncle found, a red wooden model of a train and a few board games. We didn't have a TV until I was 17 in 1964, an old black and white set. The things I never had as a child were:-
Computer (Not invented)
Games machines (Not invented)
TV
Video or DVD (Not invented)
A car
Electronic toys
Telephone
Record Player
Toys
Bicycle
New clothes
New shoes
Meat (occasionally we'd get some)
Sweets
Central heating
Hot water
Sports equipment

Having said that, although life was pretty poor we knew no different and we always walked to school. I joined the library to get access to books and this helped me to increase my knowledge considerably.Some of my friends gave me their cast off comics and the occasional toy and some let me ride their bikes and I have been eternally grateful to them. I decided at the age of 10 when father died that I would never grow up to live in poverty and my children would not experience it either. I studied hard and passed the most GCE exams in the school. Rather tha work in the cotton factories and coal mines as many friends did I decided to use my knowledge and joined a bank. Eventually I became a bank manager and earned enough to ensure that my children never went through what I had experienced. However I made dman sure that they appreciated what they had and tghis heklped them to grow up to accept and use material things but not be driven by them. If you do the same with your children I am sure they will be OK. Let them enjoy the trappings that you can afford but make sure they earn them and don'r become driven by greed. I always tried to make sure my kids got everything I missed out on and I derived great pleasure from seeing their enjoyment as they grew. They both have children of their own now and are finding their way in the world. They also have commented on how they appreciate the struggles I went through in providing for them when they were children and it is gratifying to have raise children with such an attitude. Good luck with your kids. I hope they turn out as well as you would want them to. Just make sure that they are aware that most children in the world don't share the advantages they have.

Answer 4

I think that exposing kids to this much stimulation at a young age is a good thing. And it's great that you have the means to provide them with it. Make sure that they know that they'll have to work for their own stuff someday, though.... Chores are good. With all that stuff, you can give them choices like: Either you can put up your toys, or you can give me your Nintendo DS...

Answer 5

Oh my, slow way down and make them appreciate what they have. If you overload them with special items they are just going to demand more. Does your 4 yr old really need a mp3 player? If they want special toys, make them earn them.

Answer 6

Your 4 year old had her/his own TV DVD player and MP3 player?? Yeah. Too much. I didn't have my own TV until I was 18!

Answer 7

im 12
tv-have one to share w/ bro and sis (age 11)
dvd player only one down stairs share w/ family
satelite-share
nintendo ds-never had
mp3 had one but broke it (age 11)
portable dvdd player-never had!
WAY FAST :o

Answer 8

Slow it down. I didn't have most of those things until I hit 20.

Answer 9

I think this is about the norm today. Most kids have most or all of these things. Wait til they get to be teens. ;)

Answer 10

My kids are older than that and they don't have all of that. I think it is a bit much in my opinion.