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Next birthday, give a special child in your life a "happening" instead of a toy. A "happening" is a card redeemable for a fun outing just for the child. They may choose a movie, a sports event, a play, a trip to the art museum, or whatever kind of special time they would enjoy. (This was always my favorite Christmas gift from a family friend, and it was something to look forward to after all the wrapping paper was gone.) -- Lauren Cary, North Carolina
At our house, the TV gets turned off if a commercial is not muted. Not only does this keep them from at least hearing the "hype", many times they lose interest in the TV and go do something else before the show is over if they don't have the "entertainment" from the commercial. We have a rule while shopping - we don't buy things we didn't plan for. Thus if something is truly wanted (and not just an impulse because it is seen in the store) it can be discussed ahead of time and there is some time for the desire to wane. Occasionally we do make impulse purchases, but the rule is only one per outing - no matter how many stops we have to make. This makes them really weigh whether or not they want the first thing they see or if maybe they might see something better later in the trip. --Name withheld
Just my two cents. In Norfolk, VA, one of our public schools had a visit from Pres. Clinton. On a local public radio station there was much acclaim over the young student wearing a new uniform. I think we are missing a golden opportunity to teach our children about the choices of clothing they wear. Perhaps even let them decide why they made their choices in the first place. A little media literacy education goes a long way. Uniformity leads to conformity. If we do not teach and respect our children to think for themselves we are going to end up with a country of lemmings following each other over a cliff. (Yikes! A metaphor a little too close to reality). Why do we not allow our children to question the "authority" of the consumer culture? Who's ultimately ending up parenting our children? --Rick, Norfolk, VA
In the 70's, during the energy crisis, my husband and I started a thing called Pioneer Night. On that night there was no TV and no lights on. We burned our kerosene lamp. It was one way that we conserved energy. Of course we did other things like recycle aluminum, etc. I think we will return to Pioneer Night. What if everyone in the US did it once a week. I wonder how much we would save? -- Amy, Poway, CA
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Reprinted with the permission of the Center for a New American Dream. © New American Dream.
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