Tina, I agree. We want Arianna and Nichole to appreciate what they have and take care of things. I have friends whose children make it a game to see how short a life they can give something...and then beg for a new one when they do break/lose it.
A couple of years ago the kids wanted Ipods. They were going to get the nice big video ones (at 10 years of age). I talked my friend out of it as I reminded her that if they are able to download videos, she no longer has any say-so in what they watch (you should have seen some of the songs that were downloaded!!!). Well, the Ipod was gone in about 2 weeks, so it would have been some big bucks out the window.
I was raised to appreciate what I had (which wasn't much, but I took care of it). I want my children to appreciate it as well. I take care of my home, so I hope that they will learn some by example.
We have sponsored children in "needy" countries for the past 10 years or so. I hope that we are able to share that with the girls as well as in more hands-on ways.