Dear Dr. Ellen: My husband and I are both struggling to make ends meet.
We live from paycheck to paycheck. I worry a great deal that my kids
don't have a lot of toys and nice clothes. Will they grow up resenting
us for having them and then not being able to give them things that
other kids have? - Jan
Dear Jan: The best gift you ever give your children is belief in
themselves. That is done by giving lots of praise and surrounding them
with love, not by giving them toys and nice clothes. The happiest, most
well adjusted children come from a home where mom and dad love each
other. Remember this always - "A shack can be a mansion when love lives
there and a palace can be a prison without love." Getting books from the
library and reading to them, taking long walks and pointing out the
beauty in nature, spending time talking to them, going on picnics,
smiles, hugs and kisses will be what your children will remember and
feel blessed for having you as parents. - Dr. Ellen.