Many parents want to teach their children the difference between wants and needs, but unknowingly create a problem in the way they explain it.

One of the most common mistakes I see is when parents frame wants versus needs as a good versus bad issue.
Needs are “good”. Wants are “bad”.

That framing is not only inaccurate — it can be dangerous.

There is nothing wrong with wanting something. At the same time, not every want should be fulfilled immediately. Teaching children wants versus needs is not about morality. It is about decision hierarchy and priority.