For many in our culture, the idea of simple has become: Give me what I want, and no one gets hurt.

It’s really that simple.

Immediate gratification is available for just about anything when it comes to our day to day lives.  It has become a part of the norm.  To delay purchases or the acquisition of material things requires discipline as an adult that is consistent and drawn out over time, so that the younger generations can glean off of the experience.  The issue her, however, is that adults are just as guilty of plugging in to all of the nonsense that satisfies our own boredom, that the kids are following suit.

Many homes use the TV as the babysitter to one degree or another.

Many homes are filled with families that are not in tune with each other, but are more in tune with the latest happenings of celebrity gossip.

Many homes main remedy for dissatisfaction comes in the form of retail therapy.

We are all used to getting what we want… nearly instantly.  Whether its information, food, clothing, or just plain old junk.

We are a drive-through culture where we can simply roll the window down, select from the menu, swipe a card, grab the bags, and pass out dinner with it being consumed before we even make it to the driveway… and then everyone plugs into their own individualized world where everyone else is shut out.

We get exactly what we want… when we want it.

This is the new normal for many households that simply go with the flow… and maintain status quo.  It’s no wonder then, that when as a parent you have to face the prospect of saying ‘no’ to your child, a fear comes over you.  They just aren’t use to not getting what they want, and you are going to hit a wall.

I believe that we are so connected with the ‘things’ we are surrounded with in this world, that anytime we deny ourselves something new, it feels as if we are denying our self.  So much of our identity is wrapped up in materialistic acquiring of ‘stuff’ that we just can’t imagine life without it.

So… it’s possible that when you are bold enough to say to a child, ‘no’… that they are feeling as if you are rejecting them.  It’d be confusing for them at best… at worst, you will find yourself being the most understanding parent that has ever lived, how dare you?

Now you know that by saying no to a child about an impulsive buy is not a rejection of the child.  You might not simply have the money in the bank account.  But they don’t think about it that way.  To many people in this culture have developed such a consumer mindset, that the only satisfaction that they get for ‘being human’ is the consumption of something.

The question that I want to pose to you… as well as my young one who stated, ‘You’re so simple that you’re complicated,’ is this:

When did simply being together… no more, no less… stop being enough?