Around Maine, most folks would consider spoiling a child the worse abuse you could lavish on your sons or daughters. Worse than neglect of that child.
When money is in shorter supply, better impulse control with that money comes in to play. Kids watching a Maine mom and dad see how hard they work for what they have. How well they take care of, respect whatever they do purchase so they don’t have to run back out to spend more money. Spoiling a child and giving him or her undivided attention, unlimited resources and not insisting they have chores, odd jobs that increase in time and skill as they get older is worse than neglect. They go out in to the world thinking it revolves around them and expect others to treat them the save lavish way. That is not survival of the fittest, or giving something back to earn your keep.
When Maine kids pick farm potatoes, rake blueberries, dig for clams and help fish or work in the woods, they learn the value of any dollar earned.
Like their parents, they don’t part with that hard earned money easily unless there is value, quality exhanged with those released dollars held so tightly. When money is not the fuel to run the every day living, it does not become the “drug” to keep those kids entertained, from becoming bored or to waste time.
If everything is handed to a kid, and nothing is worked for, saved for, dreamed about owning as he or she labors, the items mean nothing special for long when obtained without effort. And just desire for more “stuff”, happens, more material objects to artificially give joy or temperorary contentment. The buying, spending, shopping help kill ideal time that should be spent with chores, household obligations, helping out in the community and making that child’s own spending money. That is real world and creates self sufficient, reliable citizens of tomorrow that don’t have their hand out expecting the world to provide them a living.
Our Maine youth are not arrogant with an entitlement attitude.
They are empowered with independence and a fierce pride of workmanship, some control of their own destiny and course of their life. They know their place in the family and that the family would not be the same without them because they contribute, are part of it. Not feeling picked on or abused. Seeing the other members pitching in and working to carry their share too. That makes them more involved, partners in the process. Keeps them occupied in a healthy way too.
Because Maine is not known as a super affluent state other than pockets of coastal concentrations of wealth, I believe we work harder to create our own existence from the grass roots up. The “necessity is the mother of invention” thinking serves us well and runs thru famliies of three generations..often under on roof like the family farm. When everything day to day does not hinge on having lots of money, or require spending of financial resources a person worked hard to sock away, save, then freedom enters the room and becomes the pattern, rhythm of life.
Maine’s four season aspect of unspoiled outdoor beauty and license plate label as “Vacationland” means camping, hiking, hunting, fishing local lakes, rivers, streams is the recreation right in our backyard. We’re already in paradise, a heaven on earth setting. And with being the fourth lowest crime state, a sense of local community pride to pitch in and that family is everything, Maine is healthier, sane, simple living. We exist nicely well within our means. Don’t like debt, are not slaves to owing money for anything we don’t really need. Our wants are simple. Family, a house we want to get paid off. Or that we build slowly living in the cellar or in unfinished parts slowing paying as we go with materials and bartered help from friends that we return the favor to. Shouldn’t the country’s government, spending, policies be operated the same down to earth, feet on the ground way? Has that gone out of style or is the pendulum swinging back to minimalist, simple living. Day to day where reduce, resuse, recycle and gain control of spending is the daily goal?
Maine’s property prices are probably what you are used to divided by three and four or more. Way way less zeros in those real estate selling figures.
The low cost Maine real estate is one big reason it is easier to live the simple, lower cash outlay life and depend on less of a salary but get so much more quality of living for our kids, families.
Plus being a little further up here in the right hand corner of the country helps insulate us from all the factors folks do not like about urban areas around cities. We don’t have the crime, smog, traffic, high cost of living. Maine is the way life should be. Inexpensive.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
207.532.6573
Email info@mooersrealty.com