Materialism's Sweet Spot

Sustainable Minimalists

Bleav + Stephanie Seferian

Kids & Family, Leisure, Parenting, Home & Garden

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"Much of the time I tell my kids that material possessions aren't that important, but I also want them to take care of the possessions they have. How should I best juggle these messages and still get my points across?" As sustainable minimalists, we want our children to devalue stuff, as we certainly don't want them to associate their sense of self-worth with what they own. But at the same time we also want them to care for their existing possessions even though such care requires a certain amount of 'stuff' reverence. It's a real paradox: On one hand we preach that stuff doesn't matter, but on the other we shout from the rooftops that stuff matters an awful lot and we best take care of it. Amidst such conflicting messages, what's a child to believe? On today's show I'm answering a listener's question about the sweet spot between the two extremes of materialism and reckless ownership. Here's a preview: [6:30] 2 parenting practices that result in materialistic children, according to research [12:00] Best behaviors when bringing children into brick-and-mortar stores [17:45] The how and why behind letting your child experience the natural consequences of their actions [24:30] Parents, beware of these two research-backed materialist beliefs [27:00] How to behave (and what to emphasize) when you buy new items for your children [33:00] The sweet spot lies in these 3 quiet, simple, and non-grandiose habits that parents model every day Resources mentioned/Further reading: The 3 Parenting Strategies That Cause Kids to Become Materialistic (via Very Well Family) Say hello! Email Stephanie at MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (857) 264-1967 (US and Canada listeners only) -- Thank you to our sponsors! Made Trade: Shop the best sustainable goods all in one place at madetrade.com Thrive Market: Head to thrivemarket.com/sustainable for up to $80 in free groceries Skillshare: Visit skillshare.com/sustainable for your first month free Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

Transcript

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0:00.0	It has been a summer of self-care over here. I'm talking lots of hikes, lots of beach trips with the
0:06.4	sunscreen of course, you name it, I'm fitting it in before Labor Day. Wherever you're off to this summer, know that you're taking your microbiome with you. And seeds
0:17.3	D.S. 1 daily symbiotic benefits your gut, your skin, your heart in just two capsules a day. Now if you've been around here for a while you know that I pay close attention to what I put in my body I do my d darndest, to avoid synthetic ingredients, and that's why I trust seed.
0:37.0	Support your gut this summer with seeds, DS01, daily symbiotic.
0:41.8	Go to seed.com
0:43.0	sustainable and use code 25 sustainable to get 25%
0:48.0	off your first month.
0:49.0	That's 25% off your first month of seeds, DS01, daily symbiotic at seed.com slash sustainable,
0:58.3	code 25 sustainable.
1:05.0	Hello listeners and welcome back. My name is Stephanie Safarian and you're listening to episode 302 of sustainable
1:10.4	minimalist, a twice weekly show about intentional and eco-minimalist living.
1:16.0	On today's show I am attempting a really difficult task, which is to answer a listener's
1:21.2	question about how to help our children care about stuff
1:26.6	just the right amount. Now if that makes no sense to you I'm going to read
1:31.6	listener Christine's question. I should say hello
1:34.4	Christine. Christine is not just a listener. She's also a friend. So hello
1:39.0	Christine, thank you for this question or not so thank you because your
1:42.2	question is really darn deep. So Christine wrote to me and she said and I quote
1:48.2	it feels like much of the time I'm trying to tell my kids that material possessions aren't that important, but also to take care of the
1:57.1	possessions they have since we spent time and money to research and buy and take care of them.
2:05.2	For example, I spent a lot of time researching the right water bottle for my six-year-old son, so I want to teach my son
2:10.1	to take care of it. But then I'm also telling him to value experiences and not care so much about
	...

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