Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion When does it cross the line into materialism?

There is spoiled....and there is spoiled rotten...and the two are very different.

My children want for very little, however, they're far from the most indulged children in their respective age groups. What they've learned is gratitude and that they actually OWN nothing until they've paid for it out of their own pocket from their own work, that anything they haven't paid for from their own earnings is a gift....and personally in our family, we own NOTHING, we're just managing God's blessings to us.

There isn't anything wrong with giving your kids more "stuff" than their average classmate, so long as:

A. They realize it's a gift and a blessing.
B. Someone else worked very hard to provide that blessing for them.
C. They don't use their "stuff" as a means of status among their peers
D. They take care of their "stuff" (which shows respect and gratitude)
E. They share what God has blessed them with, or, if you're not of a religious mindset, do unto others.

Money (read stuff) isn't the root of all evil, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.