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The Parent Check Up
Someone once said, “You tell me who or what you spend your time daydreaming about, and I’ll tell you who or what your god is.” What do you daydream about? How do Teens define Success? Our
teens are growing up in a culture that teaches money equals success.
It is hard even as an adult not to get wrapped up in the pursuit of
material things. We all want to be happy and feel a sense of
fulfillment and our society teaches that the more things a person has
the happier they are. From the outside looking in this can sometimes
appear to be true. But if we stopped and really examined this
mindset I think we would quickly find that this is an empty promise.
There are plenty of people in our world right now who are rich and
absolutely miserable. By the culture’s standard Lindsay Lohan &
Britney Spears are successful business people; they have fame and
fortune. Yet these two young ladies are struggling with their life
decisions.
Modern day teens are chasing the “American Dream” The sensible plan is to do well in high school, go to college, get a promising degree so you can get a high paying job, then you can have a big house, nice car, and every item that will make you comfortable and happy. Achieving these goals is not necessarily bad, but is that really what it is all about? I fear that many of our teens are chasing after an unattainable goal. The hunger for money never seems to be satisfied. Once we obtain one thing we move on to the next. What happens when the bar for success is set so high our teens can never reach it? Maybe the better question would be what happens when our teens reach their goal for “success” and it still leaves them feeling empty? Our
modern day teens are the most money hungry generation to exist, and
yet the number of kids confused about their purpose in life is at an
all time high. What does this say about the values they have
absorbed? As adults we should examine the model we are setting for
the younger generation in this area. If they looked at the way we
live how would they say we define success? Is it by great jobs,
fancy cars and big houses? Or is by being a person who finds their
joy in loving God and loving others? As the book Youth
Culture 101 says,
“we must teach our kids that the real measure of success in life
is how much they’d be worth if they had absolutely nothing.”
Needs Vs. Wants Have
you ever been guilty of referring to your needs as wants? When I
think of needs I think of something that is a necessity. Something
that you absolutely cannot live without. Water, food, clothes,
housing, etc… I think we all get the point. But have you noticed
that in our society these two words are considered interchangeable?
Upon many occasions I have heard teens talking to each other about
their “needs” and it makes me wonder do we really understand the
difference? I “need” that new cell-phone. I “need” those
pants. I “need” to see that movie. I “need” that new video
game. Things that should be considered as wants are often referred to as needs. This is not entirely our teens fault. We live in a world that teaches us we can “have it our way.” The average American’s standard for living is often set so high that things like a flat screen TV, nice cars, laptops, and name brand clothing become something we view as necessities. Today’s teens and even adults don’t have a good perspective on material luxuries. We are consumed with ourselves and the thought that “our” world is “the” world. The level of poverty in many countries matters very little to the average American teen.
There
are plenty of examples of this mindset all over today's popular
culture, but one in particular seems to stand out. MTV has a show
called “My Super Sweet Sixteen”. It is a reality TV show that
documents very rich families who want to give their child the best
birthday bash ever. The show documents the sweet 16er as they plan
every detail of their party. During the planning of the event, the
birthday boy/girl usually lashes out claiming their parents aren’t
getting specific details right. In some cases, disputes arise over
drapery or center pieces. It’s all about me! The lack of generosity. Lots
of research has been done to examine exactly how teens spend their
money. Currently people aged 13-19 spend more than $190 Billion
dollars per year. A recent study shows that teens spend a lot of
money, but on what costs less. 51 percent of teen’s weekly
purchases are for items costing less than $25 (CD’s, snacks and
beverages, gasoline and impulse buys) and 86 percent of teen’s
weekly purchases are for items costing less than $100 (clothes,
school club dues, expenditures related to hobbies and interests).
Although they are purchasing smaller items on a weekly bases research
has also shown that a majority of teens do own some pricey
possessions. Such as TV’s, I-pods, Computers, Home stereo systems,
and in many cases cars. This need to have big ticket items might
explain in part why so many teens feel a need to have a job while
still in high school.
As you look around at what teens are buying do you notice that something is missing? No where in this list do you see teens spending money to help meet the needs of others less fortunate than themselves. Instead their money is being spent on a selfish pursuit of happiness. Almost no money is spent on charities, missions or the work of the local church. Sadly enough, this has become the American way. A recent barna survey shows that households with incomes of $40,000-$100,000 give away the lowest proportion of their income, while those who make less than $20,000 annually contribute a higher portion of their earnings. We can only suppose that if our kids make all the money they hope for they will be giving less away. Jesus doesn’t have a problem with us having possessions but he has a problem with us being greedy. If you think of the story of the rich young ruler, you see a man who has made money his God. The love of his possessions held him back from being a part of something much larger than himself. The moral of the story is still the same for us and our teens today. Greed will hold you back from serving God wholeheartedly. Our teens need to view money not as a means to further their greed but as a vehicle that help meet others needs. “There’s enough for our need, but not for our Greed.” How Much Money do teens really spend?In
1983 people aged 13-19 spent more than $40 Billion dollars per year.
In 1983 people aged 13-19 had about $200 dollars a month discretionary money.
Currently people aged 13-19 spend more than $190 Billion dollars per year. Currently people aged 13-19 have about $118 dollars per week of discretionary money.
In 1984 children influenced about $50 billion dollars a year in parent purchases. Currently it is estimated that kids now influence over $600 billion annually in parental spending. |
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