As we collectively toil away at work for longer and longer hours generating income to give our kids all the opportunities we think they need / want to get a head in life, some interesting research by the Children’s Society and the University of York reveals what kids ACTUALLY want reported here!
Quoting from the article:
In fact, only one essential item among the top five (a personal music player #4) is a ‘possession’ – according to a survey by the Children’s Society and the University of York.
The children aren’t saying they want to go to theme parks, or that they want expensive toys to play outside with. They have not said that the holiday needs to involve planes, hotels or being entertained by underpaid staff dressed as cartoon characters. What they say they need doesn’t have to be costly.
To me, they seem to be asking:
a) to get out of the house
b) with you and me
A spokesman for The Children’s Society reached a similar conclusion: “There is lots of stuff about wanting to spend time with their family and playing.”
Maybe we can’t measure deprivation using only factors such as family income, the number of adults in paid work or free school meals. It’s not just about money and how you spend it; it’s about time – and how you spend that.
Top of the list is ‘money to save each month’. Wow! Not money to spend each month – but to save. Here’s to a generation of financially savvy children who appreciate being outside.
Comments