Author(s): Donna Bee-Gates

Parenting

In today's world of mega-stores and shop-till-you-drop mentality, people are spending more money than ever in an attempt to find fulfillment in their lives - and children are no exception. In fact, children and teens spend billions of dollars a year on clothes, entertainment, and fast food. In "I Want It Now", Dr. Donna Bee-Gates helps parents to understand how this culture of instant gratification influences their own and their children's spending habits. Bee-Gates discusses how using material goods as rewards or as emotional compensation affects young people's social and psychological development and the ways in which parents can counter materialism by fostering a strong self-concept, concern for others, and a sense of life's purpose in their children.