Kennedy was invited to Raeya's 4th birthday party yesterday. I decided to take Kennedy with me to pick out the birthday gift. On the drive to the gift store, we talked about who we were there to buy a gift for. (It was my attempt to mentally prepare her to avoid any meltdowns. I am not one of those mother's who buys the kids something everytime we go into a store.)
Happy and excited to spend the day with her friends, she grabbed my hand and we skipped our way into the store. After about 30 minutes, she finally made a decision on which gift she wanted to buy. So we headed toward to the cashier. She happily put her items on the counter. Whew! Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an Ariel phone that she wanted. Of course, I quickly reminded her that we were there to buy Raeya's gift. In my motherly voice, I asked her to give the nice lady the toy phone, so that we could pay for the "other" stuff. I could see her eyes start to tear up, but she did as I asked her to do. We walked out holding hands. As we left, I watched the passerby's faces. Most looked at Kennedy and could see that she was sad. They passed me without saying a thing, just a pouty lip as if they felt sorry for the poor girl. And all I could think was, what about the poor mother who is trying to teach her child the value of money, appreciate giving to others, etc.? Next time, I am going to wear a sign that says, "Mother of the year!"
How many of you would have given in and bought "it" anyway?
(By the way, she had a blast @ the "princess" party!)
Why and How to use Baby Wipes?
-
Baby wipes are a high priority thing for any family with a kid. The
sensitive skin of an infant requires unquestionably the best materials,
which is the ...
2 years ago
Posts
2 comments:
I can relate to your store, and these days, we're doing the same thing. We don't buy something for Jade everytime we go to the store, either, but we used to be able to pick these things out more often. Now, we're cutting back and taking this opportunity, like you, to teach the importance of money, saving, and giving to Jade while we're at it. So, no...I wouldn't have bought it. And you did the right thing. Shame on the pouty lip people! I vote you "Mommy of the Year" for sure. It's a hard thing to do!
I've walked out of many, MANY a toy store with pouty, weeping, even hysterical children. I actually think it's a little funny now. When I think of how this effects them, I shake my head and think "Life is gonna be SO much more disappointing than this for them some day"
It's an important lesson for them. They need to get used to being let down every once in a while so they won't be so devasted when truly difficult situations arise. Can you imagine how horrible it must be for the Mom's and kids who chose the other route. They didn't equip their children for the future and that is a terribly selfish thing to do. I'll take the "fits" anyday over that.
Post a Comment