Parents don't want to raise children who are greedy or have the gimmes all the time, and yet it's very hard to curb consumerism because we're in a world that's bombarding us all the time with media messages to buy more, have more, look like your neighbors, be better than others so it's up to use to bring our values to our children. How do we do that? Well, one thing is to go through your closet. Find the clothes you don't wear anymore, the shoes you don't need, and bring them to a local shelter. Maybe it's a homeless shelter. Have your kids help you. Go to their room. Ask them which books they've outgrown, bring it to your local pediatric office, and give them away to other children. Let your children see you be generous. Watch TV with your kids and really focus on the commercials and talk about how they're trying to get you to buy everything . Now, once in a while, you're going to get them those good shoes that they want, but say no. Remember it's okay to say no. Teach your children to have an allowance, to save up for what they want, and to be generous. It's one of the key ways you can be happy as a family.