In thinking about what it means to be Conservative I often think of my fathers childhood. He was raised in a very poor home. He made if very clear to me growing up that I had it good. Not in a demeaning way but just so you know this is how I had it, and others around you don't have it as good as you do.. He was doing this so I would be thankful, and I was. One story of his was how he got a new pair of shoes once a year. ONE, no sports shoes, and dress shoes, or casual shoes, one pair for the year for everything. Now this may have meant that he had to play during recess in what I imagine as semi formal leather lace up shoes of the time, and he would have to play outside and get them dirty knowing that as soon as he was done it was time to clean. Remove mud, brush, clean with saddle soap, oil if necessary, apply polish if necessary. He at a young age was taught a valuable lesson in taking car of you stuff. It really wan't a lesson as much as it was a way of life. He passed this lesson along to me, I know how to take care of leather shoes and boots. To this day keep a brush, can of mink oil, and rags ready to keep em looking good. Other times his lessons in taking care of things were a bit harsh. I could tell that he was mad and why he was mad because I knew enough of his child hood to understand. That made me feel worse. Here I was getting all the things he never was able to, and not taking care of them. What a slap in the face to my father. Sorry dad.
If you know you are only getting one pair of shoes a year, you will take care of them. Today we can tell kids this but they know they will get another pair. Plus they have workout shoes, dress shoes, casual shoes. I hear all the time, we have to have this stuff! Shoes, dresses, costumes for theatre, football cleats. Today the school doesn't provide much and if you want your kids active you will be buying stuff. But where does the lesson fall. On one hand we want our kids active, we want them in programs, in sports. But each time we get them gear, costumes, what ever we are teaching them that they get stuff for free. However this could be taught as they are getting what they need. I hope so because I feel like I am letting them down by getting them what they need, when we still give them what they want. I think backing off what they want is the key and open communication about how they are getting all this stuff when others don't have any stuff.
As parents we want to provide, we also want to give. Giving is where we should tap the breaks. Kids do not need all they have and if they get into a routing of getting 90% of everything they want they will be disappointed as adults. I have said for some time, spoiled kids make unhappy adults. Parents jobs are to raise well adjust Christian adults. As adults we don't get everything we want and should have learned by then how to filter our need vs want. I deal with this all the time. Harley, Man Barn, swimming pool. We try to justify them but it all boils down to soul searching and realizing that this is a want and not a need. Now where do we draw the line. I am not saying live like a monk, but We as parents need to do better in teaching our kids need vs want.
Being conservative has little to do with politics, it has to do with conserving and not living with excess.
What do we really need, not what do we want.
