Mady Moreira

Your child sees a toy and wants it immediately. At the supermarket checkout, they ask for a treat. After watching a video, a new product suddenly becomes "the only thing" they want. They compare themselves with friends, keep asking, cry, or say that everyone else has one. And you are left trying to decide what to do while feeling tired, guilty, watched, or unsure. Should you say no?Are you being too strict?Should you give in just this once?Or could this difficult moment become an important lesson about money, waiting, choices, and emotional regulation?I Want It! Get It for Me! Everyone Else Has One! is a practical and compassionate guide for mothers, fathers, and caregivers who want to teach children how to manage wants without turning every shop visit into a battle.
This book is not about raising a child who never wants anything. It is about helping children understand that wanting something is normal, but not every want needs to become a purchase. Inside, you will learn how to: recognise what may be hiding behind repeated requests; distinguish between needs, wants, boredom, comparison, and advertising; say no without shouting, humiliating, or giving long explanations; support your child's disappointment without removing the boundary; stop buying out of guilt, embarrassment, tiredness, or pressure; explain money, cards, ATMs, and online shopping in child-friendly language; introduce a weekly or monthly allowance; teach spending, saving, and giving with the Three Jars method; use the 30-Day Rule for larger purchases; prepare for supermarket requests and checkout tantrums; enter a toy shop and leave without buying; reduce toy clutter through rotation, donation, repair, and reuse; respond more calmly when grandparents or relatives give too many presents; replace some impulse purchases with meaningful family experiences.
You will also receive practical tools designed for real family life, including: the Need or Want? visual poster; a 30-Day Wish List; a Family Spending Agreement; the Three Jars chart; quick phrases for difficult moments; a supermarket checklist; a printable "Today We're Just Looking, Not Buying" card; an age-by-age guide; a practical 7-day starting plan; a 30-day maintenance plan; printable reflection pages and family exercises.
The advice is simple, realistic, and designed for busy families. You do not need to apply everything at once. You can begin with one sentence:"Seeing is not buying."One list. One jar. One clearer boundary. One pause before purchasing something out of guilt. Over time, these small and repeated choices can help your child learn that money has limits, waiting has value, belongings deserve care, and love does not need to be proved through purchases.
The goal is not perfection. It is to raise a child who can want something without being controlled by the want. A child who can hear no and remain loved. A child who understands that a good life is not made by having everything. It is made by learning to choose what truly matters.