The Giving Tree

Finding myself within “The most wonderful time of the year” with toddlers is hard. While countless people over spend on themselves and loved ones in the spirit of giving and consumerism I wanted to find a balance. This is the first year my girls will be receiving gifts from Santa (the big guy and I had an agreement – until the girls understood the situation there was no reason for him to add us to his delivery schedule) and receiving a gift from us. Don’t get me wrong I love Christmas time and the decorations but growing up it was always about being together not the over load of gifts. I think each year my sisters and I got one main gift and then needs like socks, new pants, underwear etc. Believe it or not, I was happy and content.
So that brings me to this year when the girls understand the receiving part of Christmas but are lacking on the giving ideas. I have talked a great deal with them about helping others, giving to those less fortunate and they love putting money in the bell ringer’s bucket outside of stores. Seeing them begin to understand giving was filling my heart. This week we went to our church’s giving tree to pick tags as our family does each year. I know I will get a lot of back lash for this, but I was shocked at some of the request I saw; new DS game, iTunes gift card, H&M gift Card, Game stop gift card, JC Penny gift Card. I searched with the girls until I found tags asking for jeans, tops, and pants and placed them in my bag and walked away. It has been eating at me ever since.
What is need? Is need when you “need” what others have? Or is need when you “need” help providing basic staples? My family was middle class growing up, I never had a power wheel, Nintendo, game boy, fancy car, or the right clothes to fit in during High School but we were not in need. I understood my family’s financial situation because my parents were open and honest with me about it. They taught me a great deal about living within our means.
So, what are teaching our kids if we live outside of our own? I question your need if you or your kid already has a DS, an iPod, or iPhone. I am all for helping others when times are hard but I will not buy something that I would not get for my own kids. In my house we have a hand-me-down computer, and old iPod and only one TV. We do not have smart phones, iPads, or the latest gaming system. 95% of the girl’s clothes and second hand and most of my current clothes are from the thrift store. We budget and track every dollar and when the girls ask we will share all of that information with them so they understand as well. We are not in need in anyway and feel blessed with what we have.
I am sure there are others out there with large hearts then my own who will pick the tags that I passed by and I am happy for that. It still does not make it any easier for me to sallow that they were there and made me suddenly question others needs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's Potty Time - Intro

A Tale of Two Potties It was the best of times, it was the worst of time...it is time to start potty training my girls.   I have to be honest, I LOVE DIAPERS! I love the freedom that diapers give you when you have a toddler. I can run errands all day, have a play date, or go on an outing and not have to worry about where the closest bathroom is (and how clean it is) or look for signs that my kids might be on the verge of an accident. I even love diaper butt in leggings. Now, you may wonder why a mommy who loves diapers so much and whose kids are not yet 2 ½ years old would take on potty training if there is no rush. The answer to this question is easy, mommy per pressure. It seems like every time I turn my head another one of the girls’ friends is making the transition to big kid underwear and I don’t want the girls to be left behind. Scratch that, I don’t want to be left behind as all of my mommy friends get their potty training merit badge. So, that brings us to our curr...
Read more

Lent - What are you doing this year?

Those who know me well know that I often avoid conversations about religion and know that my life and the choices I make should not be used as anyone’s moral compass. Despite these facts I am drawn to talk of both today. Brace yourself. Today is Ash Wednesday. To be honest the first time I received ashes was in 2006 even though I have been a Catholic my whole life. My relationship with the church is one that I would categorizes as on again, off again my whole life so please do not think that I am getting on an “I am more devout” then you rant. Ash Wednesday marks the being of Lent and the preparation for Easter, and to be honest my face book news feed marks it as well. This morning I was flooded with people sharing what they are giving up for Lent. The running list is looking a little like sweets, soda, caffeine, coffee, meat, fast food, extra flavor in my star bucks coffee….and on and on. So, when did Lent become a new diet trend? How much of a sacrifice is it really in these? I ...
Read more

It's Potty Time - Starting the Day

Today is Potty Day Last night as the girls were going to sleep they were repeating the mantra I have been saying for days, “tomorrow we wear big girl panties… we poop and pee in the potty…we get sticker for our chart” and I was filled with hope. I then realized that they will also call for “Toddles” with Mickey Mouse not truly understanding what they are doing but just following along. In short, I am raising lemmings and followers. These issues will have to wait for another day though, because today is potty day. As the girls slept soundly last night not really understand what the morning would bring I was up most of the night thinking about it all. Gather all towels and old burp cloths, hide all dress up clothes, if we go outside what shoes are best, and so on and so on. To try to calm my mind I realized I need to have a goal in mind so that I could gage if the day was a success. I decided that the day is a success if we do not run out of clean dry underwear without doing laund...
Read more