Greedy Greedy Greedy

Christmas is coming.

I'll admit it makes my heart race a little bit that I can't give my kids every single thing on their wish list.

When we were the proud parents of one, I'll confess I was a little picky- ok a lot picky- about every thing for my precious baby.  I wanted only name brand items, the newest and best of everything around.

Thankfully I was slapped into reality when I elected to stop working full time to take a more than 60% pay cut- so that I could stay home with my kids.

At that time I was pregnant with our second baby and beginning to realize that I couldn't provide all the newest and greatest of everything.

And even more thankfully, since then, I've consciously tried not to make a big deal about name brands or new things to the kids.  I didn't want them yearning for things they couldn't/wouldn't have.

Hand-me downs accepted cheerfully (cause really, who doesn't love free clothes?!), then slipped into drawers, new clothes also slipped into drawers so that both can be a welcome surprise.

My reasoning for this is two fold.  Practically speaking- because I cannot always buy brand new latest cool line of jeans/shoes/sweatshirts for each kid on a whim

but also because I remember watching an interview with Maria Shriver telling about when she was growing up, new clothes were not made into a big deal.

She had what she needed.

And that I provide.

I give my kids what they need, trying to do it with things they really like as well as need.

I also remember my middle school days.  A crowd of girls would hug you in the hallway then peek at the label inside your shirt to see if it was guess or gap or whatever brand was cool back then.

One girl, the biggest culprit of them all, even went so far as to sew a guess label on her other brand jean jacket.

Why?!

That's the last thing in the world I want my kids to give a second thought to.

Because, really, who cares?!

As long as they're clean, their clothes make them feel good, and the kids are happy then the rest really doesn't matter.

Does it?

My oldest is going tech crazy.

So and so has an iphone,

so and so has an ipad.

And I keep thinking, WHY?!

How on earth do these parents monitor internet activity on those things?

And through them the kids can contact each other 24/7.

Is that a good thing?

I don't think so.

For a while I've allowed her to take possession of my old iphone which has internet access and apps that allow her to text.  I was thinking it was a powerful tool to have ready to take when behavior wasn't up to par.

I understand curiosity is an important part of growth.  But there was a questionable youtube.com search I found.  So it disappeared for a while, I don't care who searched for it (she claimed it was a friend) it was far worse than looking up "fart" in the dictionary.

The other day the kids conspired to take it away from her, the littlest one sneaked into her sister's room at the urging of a bigger kid.

And miss big pants went on a rampage when she discovered it was missing.

She wailed on her youngest baby brother, believing he took it.

Warning, this photo is graphic.

I took it to show her each time she asked for an iphone/ipad or whatever.  I wanted her to have this visual reminder of why things are not as important as people.

Granted he is prone to bloody noses but I've NEVER seen him with one like this.

Ever.

It went on forever.  And then we pulled a clot the size of a cotton ball out of his nose.

Ewww!!!

I know.

Too much information?

And you know what he said once it slowed down?  "Elsa took it, but I'm glad Sarina thought it was me because Elsa is so little."

So, is this the result of bad parenting?

Is it that I have kept too many things from my daughter, that she feels anxious or threatened that when she has something she's coveted it might disappear?

Should I never have let her have access to the iphone in the first place?

Should I have better boundaries for the littler kids?

In my book that photo has gone straight to Santa and she can kiss good bye the ipad mini I was seriously considering buying for her, even though it would be a stretch financially.

Am I wrong?

What would you do?

Never a dull, calm, or quiet moment in this crazy life.

And the questioning never ends, does it?

Maybe it isn't such a bad thing that I can't give them everything they wish for...