Why do we spoil our grandchildren?
Last night, I went to my grandson’s birthday party. He is my oldest grandson, seven-years-old, and his birthday parties are like Christmas mornings. He gets gifts like ten speed bikes, mind you for Christmas we bought him a BMX bike that was almost 200 dollars, he has dirt bikes, and all kinds of bikes but the other grandparents got him a bike he doesn’t have, a ten-speed-bike. He also got a scooter that is just like the one I got him last year. My husband and I bought him a trampoline and it was an extravagant birthday gift, but in my defense, it was not just for him and it was the only outside activity he had at our house in the small town. So, my point, we are totally spoiling this child.
You know what he played with more than anything else? Little parachute men that one of his classmates gave him. They were in a package and marked two bucks. Yep, just like my youngest grandson who has more toys than he knows what to do with, well his favorite toys are my empty Rubbermaid boxes and some old milk cartons that I use to store things. He loves to stack them up and knock them down. To hell with all the little fisher prize building block toys, the wonderful gizmos that talk and play music. Give him a wooden spoon and a pot and he will play for hours.
What do children ask for when they have everything or four or five of everything? I told Mr. Zelda that for Christmas, this year, they will get money to go into the bank, one small toy a couple of good books, and that is it. No more 300 and 400-dollar toys. Money for education, for books, for life when they are old enough to want a life away from the neurotic adults who compete for their affection by giving them extravagant gifts!
My oldest the birthday boy was sitting on one of my knees the other was on the other knee and he had his arm around me and told me he loved me for infinity, a word that I recently taught him and recently introduced the concept of forever time, and I said I love you more and he said how much more and I said infinity times seven. He thought about that for a while and he kissed me and whispered that I was his number one Nana and I whispered back, Thanks, you are my number one grandson. He then said but you love the baby infinity times seven too. I said, yes.
He is spoiled and he likes a lot of stuff, but he still knows how to share, share especially his nana’s love. We sat for a while and the pain on my knees didn’t matter and my back pain didn’t matter and finally they both saw a frog and jumped down to go chase it and the one and only little girl at the party was tormented for about five seconds with the huge frog, my year old grandson wanted to touch it but would pull his hands back and squeal. Finally he succumbed and touched the frog, the little girl touched the frog and the night came to an end. My life is good and I am so happy to have so much.
My drive back up the mountain, I listened to oldies and saw deer and when I drove through the tunnel, I turned the station to my favorite Spanish station and listened to Spanish words and every once in a while knew what they were singing.
You know what he played with more than anything else? Little parachute men that one of his classmates gave him. They were in a package and marked two bucks. Yep, just like my youngest grandson who has more toys than he knows what to do with, well his favorite toys are my empty Rubbermaid boxes and some old milk cartons that I use to store things. He loves to stack them up and knock them down. To hell with all the little fisher prize building block toys, the wonderful gizmos that talk and play music. Give him a wooden spoon and a pot and he will play for hours.
What do children ask for when they have everything or four or five of everything? I told Mr. Zelda that for Christmas, this year, they will get money to go into the bank, one small toy a couple of good books, and that is it. No more 300 and 400-dollar toys. Money for education, for books, for life when they are old enough to want a life away from the neurotic adults who compete for their affection by giving them extravagant gifts!
My oldest the birthday boy was sitting on one of my knees the other was on the other knee and he had his arm around me and told me he loved me for infinity, a word that I recently taught him and recently introduced the concept of forever time, and I said I love you more and he said how much more and I said infinity times seven. He thought about that for a while and he kissed me and whispered that I was his number one Nana and I whispered back, Thanks, you are my number one grandson. He then said but you love the baby infinity times seven too. I said, yes.
He is spoiled and he likes a lot of stuff, but he still knows how to share, share especially his nana’s love. We sat for a while and the pain on my knees didn’t matter and my back pain didn’t matter and finally they both saw a frog and jumped down to go chase it and the one and only little girl at the party was tormented for about five seconds with the huge frog, my year old grandson wanted to touch it but would pull his hands back and squeal. Finally he succumbed and touched the frog, the little girl touched the frog and the night came to an end. My life is good and I am so happy to have so much.
My drive back up the mountain, I listened to oldies and saw deer and when I drove through the tunnel, I turned the station to my favorite Spanish station and listened to Spanish words and every once in a while knew what they were singing.
posted by zelda1 | 8:40 AM
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