“I want I want” in a “can’t have it” economy
Posted
November 11, 2008 at
2:46 am by
Marge
I am about to send out the invites for our four-year-old’s birthday party next month. Christmas is just a few weeks later. Every mailbox brings a stack of catalogs. Every TV show is already embedded with dozens of toy commercials. Not even Ace of Cakes is sacred anymore.
We’re weeks away and the onslaught of “I wants” is almost more than I can handle. We’ve held her at bay with “we’ll put it on your list.” and “You can ask Santa.” We’ve let her practice her writing and drawing and scissor-skills by circling, cutting and pasting desired objets d’fun onto constuction paper. But, in this economy, we, like other families, are scaling back.
How do we tell the resident princess that Santa’s sleigh will be a little lighter this year?
Alina Tungend from the New York Times filed a story last week about breaking bad financial news to your child. Most of the advice she gathered points to an honest, but age-appropriate approach.
While we are very fortunate to be relatively financially secure, we know how tenuous life can be. All it takes is an unexpected layoff, a medical crisis, or a bad accident to go from good luck to dire straits. We’re trying to manage our little Boo’s expectations and instill nonmaterialistic values in her along the way. After all, some of the best toys are the simplest and it’s not the toy that matters, it’s all about the imagination.
Tags: birthdays, economy, holidays, I wants, managing expectations, shopping, toy commercials |
2 Responses to ““I want I want” in a “can’t have it” economy”
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1. Jennifer
November 11, 2008 @ 8:54 am
Unfortunately, everyone has to scale back this year. And I found that Christmas is suppose to be about the kids!! I don’t know but do any of you find yourselves buying toys or games for your children mainly because you didn’t have that as a kid or because you like it?? I am so guilty of that! Sad but true. I’ve had to phish the loose change out of the bottom of my purse to afford Christmas this year. I never had to save money for christmas. I always had enough to pay my bills and buy presents with my weekly check. But its a complete different story this year. Things are so expensive. Gas is outrageous and diapers cost an arm and a leg!! It’s a hard time and I am grateful that I am not down and out like some others. But I found that this years Christmas is going to be more about what my child will really enjoy and find amusement in. I am almost done my shopping. I found that taking my daughter to the actual store with me has drawn light on what she likes and enjoys. I’ve bought her an interactive Spongebob with Season 5 dvd. Not only does he interact with her but he always does the same with her dvd so its a combo gift. It makes me feel as if I am getting her more with educational and amusement features. Crayons, markers, paint and playdough will be a big thing this year. It will go a long way and it will keep them occupied and happy. For older kids, I know its very hard to keep on budget because they want ipods and video games. But I have found that going onto ebay you can find new games for dirt cheap. Or by waiting until the sale at Toys R Us or other Electronic Stores have the buy 3 get 1 free. Now you really cant beat that and you are saving money. Its a frugal year!
2. Allison G_MOD
November 12, 2008 @ 11:07 am
Yeah we’ve decided to scale back this year. And we do the “Well lets write a letter to Santa” thing, too.
But my 7 y. o. son made a very keen observation that I need to come up with a game plan to combat, or I’m in trouble.
He really wants a Nntendo DS, and I always tell him it costs too much money. Well he left me speechless the other day with this:
“Hey Mom. I know Santa is going to get me a DS. It costs a lot of money, but Santa has a LOT LOT of money. Look at how many houses he has to go to on Christmas. He has to buy presents for a LOT LOT of kids. So he has enough money to buy me a DS. I’m gonna get one.”
Maybe I should show him the Stock Market updates and tell him that Santa’s portfolio is floundering. Candy Canes sales aren’t what they used to be, and he needs to dip into his 401K just to buy reindeer food.
