At Back To School Night I spoke with the K-5 parents about what constitutes happiness. All too often we send a message to our students that happiness is earning a six figure income that will provide one the opportunity to buy all the possessions you want. In the process, we find children preoccupied with self-serving interests and a desire to have and to hold the latest and greatest on the toy, electronic and clothes markets. Think of how easily you can be swayed into buying something extravagant for your child. Do you find yourself duped into buying what your son or daughter pleads for because everyone has one, or because you need to buy it in order for your child to be accepted? What messages are we sending our children? Toys run their course as do MP3’s ,iPods, the latest CDs, clothes and other “wanna-haves”. One minute you have them, and in a week or several months, the interest in that item has faded. As we look at the values that will sustain children throughout their life, more attention needs to be placed on getting kids to own integrity, a good work ethic, kindness, effort, a sense of humor and many other values. Help kids recognize the pay-off when one works hard to achieve good grades. After you’ve seen them be kind to someone, have them recognize how they made that person feel. When they come home and tell you about their day at school, listen for expressions of what they value, and simply reply, “It’s good that’s important to you.” Happiness can’t just be what we own or can buy. I’m hoping we will all work at placing less emphasis on possessions, and more emphasis on those qualities that help our children make a difference in their world. I’m enclosing in this mailing an article I thought aptly addressed this issue. We’re all in this together. All of us raise our children. I hope you will find “The Power of No” helpful to you as a parent and not a criticism of parenting.