They won't die if they don't get the gift of the year!
I really can't believe how crazy some people get in order to get their kids every little gift they DEMAND from their parents! I understand wanting to make your kids happy, but it just gets so out of control every year, and I don't think they appreciate it nearly as much as they would if they didn't ALWAYS get EVERYTHING they wanted.
(Disclaimer: I realize ALL parents don't do this, but, again, we know they're out there.)
I was thinking about this the other day when a friend at work asked me what my most memorable Christmas present was as a kid. I had two, but the first one that came to mind was the big art kit from the Sears catalog. There were three or four sizes, but of course I circled the big one, figuring if I aim high I might get one of the smaller ones. Imagine my surprise when I opened one of my wrapped gifts and there it was! My eyes probably bugged out of my head! I was thrilled, not because I expected to get what I wanted, but because I knew my parents would try to get me something I wanted even if it wasn't the best and the biggest. I knew we didn't have a lot of money.
The other one was when they bought me my high school jacket. Swimming is a varsity sport and I was very proud of myself for having a letter as a freshman, but I had not jacket to show it off. The jackets were $60 and we REALLY had little money at this point. It was our first Christmas in FL, and less than a year before we lost the farm, the house, the rental house, the barns -- everything with the business. At the time we were living off my mom's small wage at the bank (this was 1985) and my dad was trying to sell real estate. So, when I asked for the jacket and my mom said we couldn't afford it, I left it at that. I babysat a little, but I couldn't get hired anywhere because I was 14. Before then I could always earn extra money by doing extra farmwork, and it was tough not having that option. When Christmas came, I opened a box and there was the jacket! Again, I was thrilled because I got something I really wanted but didn't expect, not because I demanded it and threw a tantrum if I didn't get it.
(Disclaimer: I realize ALL parents don't do this, but, again, we know they're out there.)
I was thinking about this the other day when a friend at work asked me what my most memorable Christmas present was as a kid. I had two, but the first one that came to mind was the big art kit from the Sears catalog. There were three or four sizes, but of course I circled the big one, figuring if I aim high I might get one of the smaller ones. Imagine my surprise when I opened one of my wrapped gifts and there it was! My eyes probably bugged out of my head! I was thrilled, not because I expected to get what I wanted, but because I knew my parents would try to get me something I wanted even if it wasn't the best and the biggest. I knew we didn't have a lot of money.
The other one was when they bought me my high school jacket. Swimming is a varsity sport and I was very proud of myself for having a letter as a freshman, but I had not jacket to show it off. The jackets were $60 and we REALLY had little money at this point. It was our first Christmas in FL, and less than a year before we lost the farm, the house, the rental house, the barns -- everything with the business. At the time we were living off my mom's small wage at the bank (this was 1985) and my dad was trying to sell real estate. So, when I asked for the jacket and my mom said we couldn't afford it, I left it at that. I babysat a little, but I couldn't get hired anywhere because I was 14. Before then I could always earn extra money by doing extra farmwork, and it was tough not having that option. When Christmas came, I opened a box and there was the jacket! Again, I was thrilled because I got something I really wanted but didn't expect, not because I demanded it and threw a tantrum if I didn't get it.
Labels: childfree
1 Comments:
At 8:47 PM,
Christine said…
When I was a kid, we went through some lean years. There were a few years where me and my brother only got a few toys from the Plaid Stamp catalog. My mother had a huge collection of filled Plaid Stamp books from the A&P (they are like S&H Green Stamps, stores gave them out depending on what you spend at the store).
So we'd get maybe four gifts each, but we were always grateful to get that. We never got EVERYTHING we wanted, that's insane.
The best gift I ever got has to be the little Panasonic AM transistor radio that I got when I was 12 (this was 1972). I LOVED that radio. I think it only cost ten bucks at the local drugstore, but i was just so thrilled to get it!
Kids today who get everything they want and more, in my opinion, are being cheated out of the joy that I had as a kid. Sure, we didn't have much, but learning to appreciate what you do have means a LOT!
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