Last week my youngest daughter’s 1st grade teacher handed every student in her class a sheet of paper with a picture of a treasure chest. Everyone was to draw a picture inside the treasure chest of something that they treasured or was very special to them. My daughter drew a picture of her Beary Bear. Beary Bear is a stuffed bear that she picked out at Build-A-Bear Workshop on her 1st birthday. Beary Bear goes every where and does everything with her. Beary Bear is ratty and worn, has missing patches of fur, and has been lost several times but has always found her way back to us. Beary Bear is her most prized possession. During recess after the kids all shared what they drew some of her classmates confronted her on the playground laughing and making fun of her because she did not draw money or gems or other items that belong in a treasure chest.
The other kids reaction saddens me. In first grade these kids should be valuing their family and friends, their toy truck or marbles or doll. Instead kids this young are being taught that money is to be valued most. From the reaction of these other kids I would say some are being taught that money is the only thing that matters.
When you’re done reading this ask yourself “what would I draw in that treasure chest?” And if you have kids how are you influencing what they draw in their’s. Our kids watch and learn from us every day. They will tend to value the same (or similar) things their parents do. If we behave like money is the only thing that matter then they will learn that same behavior from us. If we spend our income as soon as we get it our kids learn that from us. If we tithe, are willing to help other, and are careful with our spending and finances our kids will learn that from us.
What would I draw in my treasure chest? I would draw my family and friends, my church, responsibility, integrity, honesty, and love. I would not draw money or wealth. Money and wealth are great things to possess but they do not make me who I am. Whether I’m rich or poor monetarily I will still have all of those thing I drew in my treasure chest.
What would your draw in your treasure chest?
What a great post! I would draw my family in my treasure chest. My family is the reason I strive for anything and everything, without them I’d have no reason to want for anything. I would hope that if my son were to do a similar project he would draw maybe our kitties, or maybe the Nintendo DS he saved up for and bought with his own money (hopefully it’s the saving that sticks, lol). Overall one of the things we discuss with him regularly is leadership, how to not follow others’ direction or suggestions and chart his own path in this world. He’s 10 now and for the last two or so years we’ve seen an increasing influence of other people on his behavior. Thus the ramp up in teaching about originality, being different and teaching him how to make up his mind on his own.
He’s a little skater boy and I used this example once, “Now let me ask you, does anyone know any of the people trying to be like Tony Hawk? Do you think Tony Hawk is famous for being like everyone else, or is it because he did things no one else had ever done? He dared to be different and now everyone knows his name. No one knows the guys out there trying to be like him though.” One of my more successful talks with him - because that one he understood, lol.
I read a quote on a juvenile friends’ myspace page recently that said, “My clothes don’t wear me, I wear them, I yam who I yam”.
Such wisdom at such a young age.
A long time ago I did some work as a teaching assistent in an Adult Remedial Math Class. Every student was there because they had to be, not because they wanted to be there. It was hard working with these student because they saw no reason to learn and had no motivation. Math was hard for them and they saw need for it. I spent time getting to know eveyrone of them.
In time I was able to reach every one of them. I learned to explain math principle in terms related to something each one valued. None of them became scientists or anything like that. But I made a difference in their lives because I taught them a valuable skill, showed them that they can do it no matter what others have told them, and I showed I cared becaused I went out of my way to help them.
Just think how much more we can be to our kids just by being there for them and teaching them to stand on their own.