***I think I have made an effort not to let this situation affect the kids beyond it's obvious effects of having less. Vega's stealing I think may have reflected the situation. He seems to want more than the others and is relentless in his asking. I know a few times I finally responded to the nagging with "We cannot afford it."
He asks for things that we wouldn't buy anyway. I know he can feel less than abundant***
The idea of living in abundance vs. scarcity is a big one in unschooling. It is both tangible and non-tangible. There will always be someone that appears to have more than you. More time, more house, more activities, more money, more traveling, just more more more. It will help to stop comparing yourself to others. Looking for the abundance of your own life will help enormously. What do you have in abundance?
That will be different for every person, every family. We have an abundance of computers at our house. We have an abundance of time, and remember time is priceless, how much time is one person's time worth? How much time is a mother's time worth? If you went out and got a job right now, how much would you get paid for your time, how much would it cost your family for you to get paid for your time? Now go, do something with your kids, something sweet and abundant, milk and cookies and a movie, even, and decide what that time was worth.
Abundance is in the eye of the beholder, as is scarcity. It seems, and this is my experience, you can choose one or the other, regardless of physical possessions and monetarily defined activities. Your whole physical being as a mom can be one of giving abundance to your kids.
If it's really hard for a young child to go to the store without feeling scarcity, don't take him. Bring him home something small and special, even if it's a box of tic tacs from the checkout stand. Those little things, those little extras that are so inexpensive, add up to a feeling of being loved and thought of and feeling abundant. Thrift stores are great for feeling abundant with physical things. Underneath the physical though, a feeling of abundance comes from feeling emotionally full. Nobody can buy that feeling. A parent can help create that feeling by giving of him or herself to a child that is feeling lack.
Look around your house, your neighborhood, what can you give to your child right now that will add to his feeling of abundance? Paper airplanes? A bike ride? A bucket of ice? A platter of interesting food? A cozy place to sit? An unusual game found online? A made up game of cards? A pocket knife and pieces of wood? The ideas are limitless and they exist IN ABUNDANCE, but only if you choose to see it.
