Skip to main content

School Overview

More, More, More!

woman pouring drink for boy and girl

We live in a time of unparalleled wealth. H. David Burton said, "It is hard to say no to more when you can afford to say yes."

Saying no to purchasing another piece of athletic equipment, pair of shoes, or electronic game is precisely what is sometimes needed as we parent our children, difficult to do when happiness seems only dollars away.

Bishop Burton acknowledges the desire we often feel to keep our kids well supplied and outfitted so they can be competitive and achieve their goals. He continues to point out, however, that more is often less.

Emptiness and "Stuff"

Dr. Madeline Levine, a therapist for adolescents in California, wrote about the alarming number of teenagers who come to therapy and describe themselves as "empty."
These are children who are offered lots of opportunities and material goods but lack a healthy sense of who they are.
Dr. Levine describes one teen in particular named Allison. Allison's entire sense of who she was came from what she owned and who was around her. Take these things away, said Dr. Levine, and "Allison's sense of self was thin as air" (44).

Bishop Burton related a story about a young boy named Kenny, who loved to play with his two broken Hot Wheels cars, and whose family was not wealthy. A kind friend of the family gave many models of Hot Wheels to Kenny as a gift. Kenny now owned a large collection of cars. But when the friend visited the family later she noticed that Kenny was staring out the window, not touching the cars. When asked what was wrong Kenny replied, "I'm sorry. . . I guess I just don't know how to love so many Hot Wheels."

"There are times when less is in reality more and times when more can be less. For instance, less pursuit of materialism may enable more family togetherness. More indulgence of children may result in less understanding of life's important values." (98)

Treasure and Heart

How do we create children with a healthy sense of self? In part by not allowing what children own turn into the focus of their lives. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).
In order to do that we have to live that way as well, practice restraint in what we give ourselves and our children, and show our children that we value eternal relationships and attributes more than our earthly possessions.

Do you feel you are balanced right now in terms of providing materially and giving of yourself and your time to your children? Evaluating with your spouse where you are in terms of providing for your family can be a helpful way to begin giving "more" or "less."

woman talking to boy

William Wordsworth wrote these often quoted words, "The world is too much with us; late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers." Prophets have long told us to focus first on eternal matters and second on earthly issues.

Helping children focus on eternal maters will help them understand who they are and how to be happy--much more than the newest snowboarding equipment, an extra set of lessons, or outings to the local mall ever will.

When we teach our children about principles like love and kindness and generosity, that's when we can feel good about giving them more, more, more!

Sources

Burton, H. David. "More Holiness Give Me," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 98.
Levine, Madeline. The Price of Privilege. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.
Wordsworth, William. The World is Too Much With Us.