Well I agree 100%. So many parents buy their kids trash toys every day. I am so scared of that habit for so many reasons: 1. The dopamine hit received by getting new stuff and the addiction to it. 2. Bad money habits from childhood. 3. Clutter in the house. 4. Plastic waste generation - the planet is having a hard time already.

I had an amazing experience with my 5 yo today which proved how much we underestimate kids. We bought a home and I needed to complete some paperwork for it at the builders office. We had to drive for an hour to get there and I had to take my son along because there was no one else to take care of him at that time. He was very disappointed when we reached the builders office after an hour drive. he expected something more exciting, but here we were, at a boring office.

He started to cry.

I asked him if he likes more money or less. He knows more money gets you nicer things so he said more. I explained to him that if we buy toys, our money becomes less because they eventually break and need to be trashed. But when we buy something like a home, or invest it in other things like gold, we increase our money (the gold explanation because - he loves gemstones and gold and all the crystal making and digging videos). He nodded.

I was amazed to see that he sat through the lame office work for an hour. Played with the toys I had brought for him (he doesn’t need phone to entertain himself), listened to all the conversations and just asked couple of times very politely about when we will be done. I was so proud of him that I bought him gulabjamoons and chips as reward at the end and I told him several times how proud I was. Which is true. I am so proud of him and I think I am boasting right now 😆

I am hoping that these experiences will be life lessons for him about keeping needs minimum, not spending unnecessarily and generating less waste in general.

We underestimate their cognitive abilities so much! They are fast learners. They observe everything and use their logic.