There will inevitable be that day, that your child comes home all up in arms about how this person at school has so much more than they do.
Why can I have that, go there, do that, buy this. I want more.....more, more, more. Yes, you are correct; jealousy has reared its ugly head.
Male or female, young or old, we all get bitten by the jealousy bug at some point. Not only is it common, it's human. As an adult I have become jealous from time to time. It doesn't matter what it is causing it, I just make a conscious effort to identity what I am feeling and look again at my very fortunate life.
A child may not be able to curb their jealousy as easy as that. Validating the emotions they are feeling at the time is usually their first response. Now is the ideal time to have a one on one talk letting your child know that everything else looks much more interesting or better because it's different from what we know and have. Sharing that part of what makes us so special is because we are all different and that will always be someone who has more than us as well as less than us.
This is also a good time to talk about being thankful for all that we do have, and how there are likely people who are jealous of us. Discuss the differences between material and intangible possessions and wealth. Jealousy is a very common emotion. Its one as parents we need to assist our children in managing and compounding with guilt, so be sure to choose your words wisely.
Know that discussions such as these are never one-time talks. They are discussions that continue and evolve as our children grow and are able to understand more. Jealousy is also more prevalent at holiday time than at others, but it is still the same base emotion whether it's December or July. You may never always be able to escape it, but you can always identify ways to manage it.
Here are a few fab sites that you can share with your children to show that little hands can be big givers. They list amazing ways for families to give back or pay it forward during the holidays and are a small reminder that although we may not have it all, we often have more than most.
