Here are a few things I think we can do to help us stomp out materialism before it creeps into our kids lives:

• Say no…and don’t feel guilty. When I was a youth pastor I had several parents who would just give their kids whatever they wanted…that does our children no favor. You don’t always get what you want in life. Use the word NO more often. Parenting isn’t a popularity contest and you aren’t always appreciated.
• Teach priorities. Use your kid’s spending decisions as opportunities to teach financial planning as well as how to control urges. Dave Ramsey has an incredible tool for children that we will be using when Couper gets older. Another way to teach priorities would be to require your kids to make a list of desired purchases and then order it by preference. This is especially useful around the holidays or during back to school shopping. Amber and I have been quick to establish clear limits as to how much we spend on gifts for Couper…it helps us live and model priorities and not go overboard. Don’t get me wrong…I want to give Couper the world. But should I?
• Require giving. Teach your kids how to tithe. Encourage them to give 10% of all they get to the Church. God will honor that commitment…why not teach them early? Another thing we’ve done that has been incredible in our family is sponsoring a Compassion child. When you build a relationship with someone who has nothing and pour yourself into their life, you quickly start to learn how to be content because reality slaps you in the face that you have more than 99% of people on the planet. Heck, just take your kids down to a shelter and serve once a month. Whatever cause or giving opportunity your family decides on, commit yourself to it. Don’t do it half way. Live it and breathe it.
• Teach about giving from the heart. I have this idea brewing in my head to start a family tradition for the holidays where at least one present from each member of the family must be handmade. We need to teach our kids that the best gifts are those that come straight from the heart: letters, songs, paintings, or pledges to serve the recipient are great ways to teach this.
• Limit TV. Marketers are after our kids. It makes me sick. Research has shown that the fewer commercials our kids see, the less materialistic they become. Better yet, cut down on your kids’ TV time altogether. One study found that when kids’ TV viewing was cut by one-third, they were 70 percent less likely than their peers to ask parents for a toy. WOW!
• Encourage your kid. Don’t forget to acknowledge and celebrate times when your child does something selfless and compassionate. Celebrating those victories helps diminish materialism.