Now I completely understand am thrilled that now that the Holiday Season is over...the tree is down and in Rubber maid bins...though NOT out of my living room yet....
The twinkle lights are turned off until 330 days from now...when I will probably be fumbling around trying to put them up again....(picture Clark Griswold in Xmas Vacation...stapled glove and all)
Yet I find in some ways I am already having to pre-condition myself.....for the next one....
Here let me show you....
YES! That is our Tree....and NO we did not sleigh-jack Santa and steal all the other kids toys...
THAT is when The Grandparents go a little...okay MEGA overboard with the holiday gift giving...
And Yes the Majority of those gifts were for one very Special 21 month old.....But....um.....really? Did the whole Toys R Us have to get deposited at our house?
I think we get a little irritated, because we try to set limits with them.....even give them a Well written (in crayon) list of the things We think Pooh would like.....
Then this happens....
The Only one to actually be reasonable was my mom....who sent the 3 things that were on the list we gave her....(different lists ....in designated crayon colors....so there is no duplication)
It's not that Juice and I trying to win scrooge for the year.... we just want our children to appreciate the gifts they do recieve....but also make them understand that they can't always get what they want....and that they don't need EVERYTHING....
Heck Pooh still loves one of the big boxes some of his things came in.....more so than the things that were in it....
Hmmmm....isn't that the same lesson our parent's instilled in us? And they are trying to thwart that with our kids.....
My husband has gotten to the point where he's giving them an ultimatum.....either bring only 3 gifts for Pooh's Birthday this spring....or Don't come....
I hope they only bring 3 things....because I would much rather have their company.... and there are still 5 things from Christmas we haven't taken out of their packaging yet.
This was NOT mentioned in any of the parenting books I've read over the past 94 weeks I've been one....
I guess it's time to teach the grandparents that money doesn't grow on trees.....
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5 comments:
Wait a second, do we have the same in-laws?
My parents gave Maddy one gift and the in-laws gave Maddy like 15 wrapped gifts, not including the big present that wasn't even wrapped, and the 2 stockings that were filled to the brim with goodies and gifts.
We gave also gave a short list. My mom said they only got Maddy one gift because they were pretty sure she would be getting a surplus from her other granparents.
Oh my goodness - the grandparents must have all gotten together and talked about how they could fill our homes to the brim with toys and stuff!
Both Ray's and my parents are divorced, so we have 4 sets of grandparents that give gifts. Of those 4, Ray's dad only gave 1 gift to Noah and my dad gave him 3 - one of which was a motorized quad for toddlers (and he's scared of it). Our moms on the other hand... can we say overboard?!!!
We definitely need to set some stricter rules next year, because We do not want our children to be spoiled little brats. Besides... Noah has more fun playing with an old paper towel or toilet paper tube than half of the toys he got for Christmas! ha!
Ugh. Why do our parents have to do that? With my mom, and MacGyver's mom, it's junk food. They just pack my daughter so full of chips and candy she might as well be a pinata!
The entire time I was reading this I was thinking you and Catherine must have the same in-laws and then I read her comment :-)
I do personally struggle to keep it under control. I enjoy buying stuff for my kids. This year they each got one "big" thing from Santa, a stocking from Santa, one individual gift from mom and dad, and $40 Craigslist TV to share from mom and dad. After you add grandparents and aunts and uncles it still is a little out of control. I will say it gets better with age. My kids get more cash and gift cards which I can regulate more easily or force them to save.
In a little over a year my kids have saved $1000 towards their Disney trip of their own money. Scary part is they would've outherwise bought needless crap they didn't even need and not had a single dime left. I think I am going to continue to force them to save some even after out trip is over.
My parents did the same thing with my nephew this Christmas. Luckily, we don't have kids yet but I know my sister will love when we do to take some of the attention off my nephew!
Good luck with all of that!
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