Oh the times I chastised my sister: "Why are you buying SO much?!" "They're so LITTLE." "It's such a waste." "We're all so spoiled." And here it is, November 14th and I MUST cut myself off from shopping for her. It's crazy! FedEx and UPS keep coming and I stare at the boxes, thinking, "What ELSE did I order?!"
I am torn about it. One part of me thinks it is so unnecessary: she is only going to be 11 months old. She doesn't need anything. I could save the money for her. Hell, I could use the money for things that I need to pay for. I don't want to spoil her, I don't want to create this system where every year, I out-do myself and then she turns ten and I literally have to buy her a real life elephant or something.
But the other part of me makes excuses for why I should be buying these things: the toy kitchen promotes independent learning, the wooden toys I bought are safe and educational, the sensory toys will promote her imagination, they'll all last a really long time. She doesn't have many toys - it's not like she's the fourth child in the family and has buckets and bins of toys to choose from.
Am I crazy? What is typical, what is appropriate, for an 11 month old on their first Christmas? I fully intend on teaching her the value of money and the value of things. I will show her how to give back and pay things forward. But how do I handle this as a "good" parent?
I'm scared to see the result when I really go look at the pile that has been forming in the basement. I just keep carrying the boxes down there and figure I will open them when it's time to wrap. I'm scared. Is this just me?
Love,
Momeo and Juliette
XOXO
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