26 Hudson Valley Parent
■
March 2015
them to think of ways to contribute
to their community. When tweens
and teens understand that they can
make a worthwhile contribution,
their life may stop revolving around
the iGizmo, fancy vacation, or
designer jeans. "Tweens and teens
should understand that we all have a
responsibility to our family and our
community," says Lowe-Greenlee.
"And we don't just take, we give
back."
Malia Jacobson is a nationally
published health and parenting jour-
nalist and mom.
ENTITLEMENT TRAP
(Continued from Page 25)
Learning to be
entitlement-free
through play
• Learning to play a board game
teaches your child to take turns,
to wait to move spaces, and that
someone will fi nish second.
• Playing with dolls or action
fi gures gives your child an outlet
for social drama: acting bossy,
acting aggressive, or acting like
a baby.
• Mastering a challenging jungle
gym teaches your child to keep
trying and that muscles get
stronger.
• Making mud pies might be
the perfect place to learn stress
management.
• Negotiating positions in a
game helps your child recognize
other people's perspectives and
his strengths relative to other
people's needs.
Excerpted from 'The Entitle-
ment-Free Child" by Karen
Deerwester
