I must be the meanest mom in the world (my four year old would probably agree as I have been quite stingy with the hot chocolate and television lately) but I find stories like this one from the AP completely, utterly ridiculous. The idea is – should you tell your kids you’re broke or should you go ahead and spend like a maniac and shield them from reality?
Come ON. What is wrong with us, parents, that the idea of not spoiling our kids by granting their every material wish is something we have to THINK ABOUT? I mean yes, if you are about to lose your house or are eating at the soup kitchen, then maybe shielding your kids from that level of worry is a good thing. But angsting over whether to tell them that you can’t afford the $250 ride-on triceratops they want? Not a problem.
In our house, we’re not ones to go overboard on gifts, partly out of necessity and partly out of philosophy. And we’re trying to emphasize the generosity and celebratory aspects of Christmas – and for us, the religious ones – more than we are the material. In other words, we focus on how much fun it will be to give gifts to the people we love, and try to tone down the getting part. Of course, every piece of media my older child interacts with counters that message, which may be why some parents struggle with setting those limits.
I share the desire to make my children’s Christmas magical, but I remember from my own childhood that the magic came from the tree and the lights and the music, not so much what was under the tree. And not setting limits on spending on your kids is bad for you –hello credit crisis! – and bad for them. If they are never taught that things cost money and that you can’t always afford everything you want, either real life is going to smack them hard in the face or they are going to be living off the National Bank of Mom and Dad for a long, long time.
