In one study, researchers asked elementary school children to help Bobo the Bear, a stuffed animal, reach his toy
lion using some materials: building blocks, a pencil, an eraser, a ball, a magnet, a toy car and a wooden box.
To Raise Better Kids, Say No -
By SCOTT SONENSHEINMAY 17, 2017
Despite the temptation for parents to say yes to their children’s wishes, research
shows there’s an insidious side to chasing after the newest thing others have.
Indeed, the oldest children in the study (6- and 7-year-olds) reached the correct solution (i.e., using the
wooden box to prop up the building blocks) faster, on average, than the younger participants, who were 5.
Instead of laying them all out on the table, the researchers used the wooden
box as a container to store everything else, such as the magnet and pencil.
Upon seeing the box acting like a container, the older children struggled to expand it to anything beyond a container.
In American culture, abundance tends to be seen as a symbol of success, prompting some parents to say yes to things they can’t really afford.
But there was one condition in the experiment when the younger children ended up outperforming the older kids.
Kids who learn from denial realize at an early age that they won’t always have the perfect tool for every job.
Each time we acquiesce to our kids’ latest request to buy something, we subtly condition them that their resources have limited uses.
