Is there anything written for kids re: simple living

**kimmee** · 11-30-2004, 11:55 AM

I just read the Tightwad Essay Sara posted and I was remembering when I was a kid and the difference between My kids and me -

My mom made clothes for me - she wasn't that good but she always bought the best fabrics and we didn't have much but it was usually the best of the best - I don't completely agree with that philosophy cuz kids grow so fast  But I did love the homemade clothes and loved the fact that I was always in dresses and looked very different than the other kids, I thought the dresses my mom made were fabulous even though they had errors - they were colorful and made of eyelets and velours and ribbons.  We didn't have the latest toys and gadgets - I learned to love makebelieve and playing house - there was an abandoned hands quarters at the farm we lived next to and our favorite thing was to go in and play house and clean it with the cleaners that had been left under the sink by the last tenant. I was really into arts and crafts and drawing and building with wood I found at the construction sites - building birdhouses and forts. When I got a bike I was in heaven - I could go anywhere do anything.

My kids are completely different - I have always made their clothes and I am actually pretty good - My jeans look store bought!! Now the kids don't want to wear any of the clothes that I make to school - they want Baby Phat and LEI and Fear This. But we live in the country and only the kids who come from the city dress like this - It is coveted by the 70-80% of the country raised kids. When the kids went to the big city school in the very rich part of Denver (I drove them in) They didn't have the problem wearing what I made around the rich kids as they do now - it is all about status. Aimee has no desire to be the first with any outfit or style - I revelled in that - always into cutting edge and before everyone else styles - heck, I MADE some of styles at my school!! Damon is the only one who will make something up out of his head and he is the youngest so I am sure its just a matter of time before society turns him into a non-thinking follower. My sheep aren't as big of the "sheep" image as the kids at school - Heck - Sammee is a rebel!! Compared to some of these kids.

I want so much to find some way to impact my kids with the idea of thinking for themselves, thinking about our environment, not "needing" everything - I use to think that came from not having  - Boy was I wrong - my kids are way overindulged by their parents, their grandparents, even their teachers!! Candy for having the right book out on your desk!!

If only there was a class to kids about back to basics, finding what is truly important - self discovery... Is it out there and I am just missing it?? they definately don't want to learn it from mommee  (course it would help if their daddy wasn't so materialistic - but then he lives in the fast paced society, has lots of money and comes from wealthy parents who basically  are "the Joneses" that every tries to keep up with!!

**homesteadmamma** · 11-30-2004, 12:10 PM

Kimmee, I haven't found anything yet. I think its something you have to teach your kids right from the beginning. Our older kids had a hard time adjusting to our change in lifestyle because they weren't brought up with it. Our 3 younger kids have always lived this lifestyle so its just a part of who they are.

Its not easy for kids when they see what others have at school. Maybe there can be a compromise. They get name brand jeans but you make their other clothes (just an example).

From there its living what you believe. Only then will your kids "get it". They need to see your serious. They need to see your committed to it. And then they need to see the benefits from it.

A couple of links that might help:

http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/es...tion/kids.html (I like the part about an allowance here. I find if you tell the kids, once spent thats it for the month, they quickly learn how or what to spend their money on.)

http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles.../kids/1446.asp

http://www.becomingtheparent.com/sub...uestion45.html (this is similar to your question)

http://www.simpleliving.net/resource...ying+With+Kids (some books - YAHOO!!!! I'm going to see if there are any of these in our library.)

**kimmee** · 11-30-2004, 12:19 PM

Thank you for the links CJ,  I book marked to read tonight. The most frustrating thing for me is when they are at home - they do think the way I do - And over the summer and Christmas breaks I have them almost completely converted butthen school is back in and BAM!! 10 feet backwards!! They go on and on about how much they like the way I cook as oposed to the store bought stuff Grandma gets, They will absolutely rave about the quality of our homemade clothes compared to whats in the store when we go school shopping ( Aimee even turns things inside out and inspects the seams and the fabric content!!) they love that most of our furniture has been scrounged and redone and that most of our art and decor are made by us - that we eat from our own  garden for the most part and make our own quickee mixes and jarred sauces. Their friends carry on about this stuff too and say their parents don't do anything like this. Then they go to a friends and come home and say - Wow their house is like a designer home -its beautiful it looks like noone touches anything, and they took us out for dinner, and you ought to see their Theatre room!! Yet for the most part the kids hang out here - not there!! They don't feel welcome to play there. So I just don't get it!! It seems like the pride should carry over - its just got to be an esteem and competitve issue...

**simplemom** · 12-01-2004, 09:16 AM

The clothes issue is what I find more difficult with my 3 older boys now, Kimmee....They know they can't get all the brand names they want, but it's SO important for them--sigh--so I check bargains and tried to get a few items they liked, but I hate it because I have the impression the pressure they are going through at school is hard on them....and on us. There is not a week, one will ask for $100 shoes or just last week, Matheiu wanted a $300 winter coat!

Well, I just told him--we don't have the money for that....finally I found him one that I paid $89.00 but still, I know I could have found one much cheaper....but he wouldn't want it....

Goodluck, Kimmee...If you find a way for simple living for your kids and it works, please tell me. I'd love to get any tips I can find.

**pkellyc** · 12-01-2004, 11:10 AM

My kids wear phat pharm, lei, and most recently hollister is the rage here. I buy them for Christmas and birthdays always off the sale rack. Other than that they get a clothing allowance or spend their own money. I decided long ago that if they spent their clothing allowance on 1 pair of jeans they got to wear that one pair all year and would recieve not one penny more from me.
The thing with designer clothing is the simple fact that teenagers want to be "in" being "in" means they simply want to fit in. But kids learn from example and I happen to notice now that my oldest is in college, she cares less and less about what eveyone else has, and now focuses on her own unique personality. She is responsible for 1/2 of her college education all her clothing, with the exception of gifts, living expenses at school and recreation. While in high school she refused to wear anything from walmart, now that she is spending her own money, nothing gives her more pleasure than saying "look what I bought at walmart for only $5.00!" I am starting to notice that she is her mothers daughter. So don't worry Kimmie it's in there, they are just storing it away for later use.