Needs & Wants

"I want this! I want that! I need that!" is often something parents hear from their kids when their younger. Some may even hear it when their kid grows up. It's a constant phrase that I believe will never get old. There are certain things that people want in life, but can't have. There are also things we need, but we don't really care for because it's not appealing. In class today, we discussed the difference between needs and wants. Needs are something that are essential in life, like food/water and wants are somethings we want, but can't have. I remember when I was about seven years old, I would watch TV almost all the time and when the commercials came on, they caught my attention. This one thing, in particular, was an Easy Bake Oven. I loved sweets. In fact, I'd have about 3-5 cavities. As soon as I saw this commercial, I begged my parents to buy me this and since I was still young, they'd give in and buy it for me. The first time I got it I wouldn't put it down. I'd made brownies and mini-cakes all in one day and I'd think of myself as a magical chef. I would keep doing this over and over for any product I found on TV that I thought was cool. By the time I was about twelve or thirteen, I looked at all the awesome stuff I bought. When me and my family moved in fourth grade, we had boxes and boxes of the things I haven't used since then. It amazed me because I then realized that not everything I bought, I needed. Just like the Easy Bake Oven, it was just there for entertainment. When I officially turned thirteen, my parents taught me the difference between a need and a want, just like today's lecture did. I've come to know that I wasn't the nicest person when it came to sharing my toys. On Halloween, when I was five, I had this cute stuffed animal that looked like a pumpkin. I would carry it around all day - even if it wasn't Halloween. When my cousin, who was two at the time, wanted to play with it, I wouldn't let him. I was greedy and my parents scold me for it. It was then and there that I knew I didn't need such a stupid thing like that. Sure, it was part of my childhood, but there's other animals I could've cuddled with. Now that I'm basically an adult, it's come to my attention that not everything I have is a need - it's just wasteful. There will be things in life that I'll want but I can't have and I'll just have to deal with it, because life isn't fair.