A friend posted a meme on social media that read,
“Buying gifts for your kids is tough because you want to give them the world…but you also don’t want them to be entitled…but you want to spoil them a little…but you also don’t want to give them “too much”…but you also want them to feel super special…but also grateful.”
And if this doesn’t summarize how I feel, I don’t know what else does.
I, like every other parent in existence have no idea about the upcoming season. We have single handily turned our kids lives upside down and found a whole new appreciation for our teachers and school administrators who have worked tirelessly to keep our kids safe, whether it’s distance learning, in-person learning or a combination of the two.
With all that, I just want to get my kids everything on their lists, but I also know that means toys will be lost or forgotten less than a week after we celebrate. That also means more cleaning up for me, and let’s be real, my kids will probably be overwhelmed with everything.
So, this is what I did. I cleaned out the kids playroom, I mean I was ruthless. I donated anything they don’t play with and threw away things that were broken or had one too many missing pieces. I reorganized our game closet (and we aren’t in the bad shape I thought we were). I went to a local business and dropped an absurd amount of money on new stuff, most of it is STEM, so that made me feel good.
I did buy a few of the top choices on their lists and things I normally wouldn’t because that’s the spirit of Christmas, but, my plan is a little different this year. They will get some of their gifts on the actual holiday, but others I am holding onto for a rainy day or for when we just need a little extra fun. So everything I bought won’t be given at once and I think with breaking it up, I can see what they actually like and want to use and what gets thrown to the side after 5 minutes.
So, when you’re unsure of what to get or how much to get, do what feels right for you and your family, there is no wrong way or wrong amount.
