Should You Tell Your Kids You're Broke?

Amy Kuras — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:32:00 GMT

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.

Santa Claus Can Call Them For You

JeanneSager — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:56:00 GMT

There's nothing like standing on that long line for the mall Santa, finally getting there, and having your kid reel off his entire list to the big man while a tantrum toddler's screams drown the whole thing out.

The trouble with that unshakeable belief in Santa? They don't need to tell Mom and Dad what they want - "Don't worry Ma, Santa said he'd get it for me." Instead of trying to drag it out of them, a new site lets you order up a Santa call right to your house. Even better? They let you go back in and listen to the whole clip online.

I Am Saint Nick comes from the brains of a dad who was laid off from his job in the tech industry. Matt Steckler opted to harness the new Twilio telephoney technology to have a voice recording of Santa Claus call phone numbers plugged into the site. If the call connects, the recording asks people what they want for Christmas (note to parents: you might want to warn your kids that Santa is a little forgetful . . . and a very busy guy who won't be able to answer questions, the drawback to a machine making the call). After the call ends, the recording is linked to the phone number on the site, allowing anyone who knows your phone number to plug it in and pull up the message.

For parents who are uneasy, the site promises to abide by the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which allows you to listen to your child's message and ask for the recording to be taken down if you feel they divulged too much personal information, Simply send an e-mail their way.

Kids tend to be a little more forthcoming with Santa Claus than they do with Mom and Dad - or even Grandma and Granda, so this could be your best shot at finding out their true heart's desire. And who doesn't like to hear it coming from their sweet little mouths? So set up your call, then send the whole family online to take a listen.

Image: I Am Saint Nick.com

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