opinion

Shapiro: If your kid has too many toys, here’s an idea

I am a champion of innovation. I believe that modern technology, smart people, great algorithms and low-cost sensors have the power to make the world a safer place, equalize education and income disparities, and solve some of our greatest global challenges, like hunger, clean water and disease.

I also worry about the impact technology has on children. A 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study found “the average 10-year-old spends nearly eight hours a day with a variety of different media, and older children and teenagers spend more than 11 hours per day.”

I strongly believe infants should not be in front of screens and that toddler screen time should be limited.

My wife and I came from modest means, but have done well. We’re concerned that our kids not be spoiled. But between grandparents, well-meaning friends, birthday parties and our own impulsive giving, our two children have lots of toys. Perhaps the hardest lesson to teach your child is that sometimes it can be more rewarding to give than to receive.

This past spring, I was delighted when our oldest son told us that for his 7th birthday he wanted the money that would be spent on gifts to go to kids who could not otherwise afford to go to summer camp. Over the years, my wife and her mother have told him how lucky he is to be able to go to camp. Their message left an impression.

Our son stuck by his request when asked again a few days later. My wife found a program that provided a summer day-camp experience for inner-city Detroit children – just a few miles from where we live. Our son’s birthday party invitation to his friends and classmates conveyed his request that contributions be made to Detroit City Camp.

The next surprise was the response from the parents of the children invited to his party. They were thrilled. This option not only eliminated the hassle of shopping for, and wrapping, another present — which would keep the recipient's attention for a few minutes — it also gave them an opportunity to discuss charity, responsibility and gratitude with their children.

We expected the standard $10 to $20 birthday gift amounts. But we were shocked that we raised nearly $2,000, including contributions from those who didn't attend the party. And later, our son received a birthday invitation with a similar request for an autism charity.

The Detroit City Camp is a 12-year-old program conceived by a social-worker student charged with filling a gap in quality programming for underprivileged children. It’s the only program in Detroit providing a day-camp experience for inner-city kids. It receives no government funding other than a modest lunch subsidy. Last summer, the program took in 250 kids – children who otherwise might have been indoors all summer-long, watching TV or playing video games. This year, the program took in 350 children. The camp is run on a shoestring. Parents pay up to $83 a week and are encouraged to invest in their children’s future by giving up a non-necessity.

The contributions generated by our son’s request were the only ones the Detroit City Camp received this summer. When the camp director and founder asked my son to attend the end-of-summer party, my son and my wife experienced firsthand hundreds of happy kids playing and learning in the well-run, mostly volunteer program.

At the celebration, my seven-year-old spoke to the campers, and I won't deny being proud of him for his generosity and simple eloquence. His joy in helping others surpassed any pleasure from any gift he ever got. That night, before going to bed he said, “Dad, this was the best day of my life!” That was a gift to me.

Things are nice, but things don’t make you happy. This summer my son learned about the stark effects of poverty and the importance of charity. He also learned about happiness and the spirit of generosity. He saw happy kids, and he discovered that giving really is better than receiving.

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.