What Kids Really Want That Money Can't Buy: Tips for Parenting in a Commercial World

When Taylor, a mother of two, found herself fed up with the""gimme more"" mantra of our culture, she helped found the Center for the New American Dream, a national nonprofit devoted to guiding Americans away from their furious earn-and-spend cycle. In this earnest volume, Taylor offers practical advice on how parents can give their kids what matters most: time, love and attention. Using the voices of experts, parents and kids, Taylor makes a convincing case that, despite pleas their for material goods (a national poll of teenagers calculates that kids will nag at least nine times to get what they want; at least 50% of parents will relent), what children actually desire are their parents. As 14-year-old Erika writes:""What I really want is for all parents to just spend time with their kids. America would be a happier country."" Taylor urges families to return to simpler, meaningful rituals, such as family dinners, outings, storytelling time and shared hobbies like stargazing and fishing. She encourages parents to make their homes friends-friendly by baking after-school snacks or taking groups of pals to the playground. The suggestions in this book are plentiful, do-able and inspirational, and the kids' first-person accounts (""It is this simple joy that I plan to search out, and I know money cannot buy it for me"") will provide much of the necessary motivation.