The Age of Entitlement- Parents Policing Parents about Gift Giving

Oh Parents policing Parents is a wonderful thing isn’t it?

I have seen so many different posts on Facebook authored by Mothers who are angry, angry that other parents are getting their children large gifts. Angry that other parents are out there buying their children gifts for St. Patrick’s day. Angry that some parents are out there buying crazy amounts of gifts for Easter.

Who cares what other parents do for their kids!?

Here is the thing…. If I want to give my kids huge gifts from Santa I will, because it’s my choice. If I want a leprechaun to deliver gifts over st. Patrick’s day.. I will. If I want the Easter Bunny to bring my kids a brand new car for Easter… it will happen. Can we all stop trying to change what other parents do?

Let’s focus on teaching our children to be grateful for what they have. Let’s teach our children that they can’t have exactly what everyone else has, just so life is fair. Lets teach our kids that people celebrate differently. This is the age of entitlement!

Parents Policing Parents

See here is where I am different. I don’t think buying huge expensive gifts for every holiday is necessary. At all. I don’t do it… or at least not often, I also don’t judge those that do and I don’t worry they make me look bad. What’s making the younger generation this entitled is this view that we can’t disappoint them. “Oh no Santa can’t give the big gifts because someone else might not get the same.” “Oh how dare these parents get their kids a Playstation now my kids are sad they didn’t get one.”

I can somewhat understand the view that the big gifts should come from the Parents instead of Santa, based on the fact that some Children have a hard time understanding why Santa would bring Johnny a huge brand new TV and Playstation when they only got mittens. We can’t all afford to give our kids huge gifts… and some that can, just don’t think it’s necessary. No matter what the reasons are, I still feel that we can teach our children to be happy with what they get. If my son comes home complaining that Johnny’s TV was better than his socks, then we would be having a conversation about being grateful… that “santa” could have just brought him nothing instead. That conversation has NEVER occurred, mostly because we have spent a lot of time teaching our children that it isn’t about what we receive, but to be grateful and happy we got anything at all. We spend our time teaching our children valuable lessons instead of being those parents policing parents. Perhaps we should stop being parents policing parents and just focus on raising our children. 

I have also had people say: “Well, there are kids out there that will bully children for getting less from Santa.” Do you really believe that these kids are limiting their bullying to what your child got from Santa? No! They aren’t. Honestly if there are bullies out there that will bug someone because Santa got them more and so they make fun of the child with less, this isn’t a gift and who gets what issue at that point. It’s a bully issue, a parenting issue etc. These kids doing this at christmas are the same ones that will make fun of backyard birthday parties and make people feel less than for not having brand name clothes etc. It’s certainly not limited to Christmas and Santa gifts.

AND… do you know What!? As a Child I was probably never asked specifically what Santa got me. The question was what we got as a whole. Which in turn, if we start worrying about that, then all parents should buy their kids socks and call it a day because someone is going to always get more than another. What about those that get cars for their 16th birthday!? Am I to believe that my parents loved me less than Cindy loo Hoos’ parents because she got a Lamborghini and I had to buy my own bus pass? Give me a break.

How about we teach our kids that we won’t always have the same as everyone else? Why don’t we teach them to be happy with what they do have because they could have nothing at all? How about we prepare them for adulthood because when bossman Billy drives up in a brand new Ferrari, that doesn’t mean that everyone gets one just for breathing. Entitled children are created through this thought process that we all will get the same things just for being alive. The world doesn’t work that way.

We don’t all end up with the exact same in life. It just doesn’t happen! What’s wrong with our Children being taught to be grateful for what they have, no matter how big or how small? Nothing. Nothing at all. Life isn’t all about fair. Life isn’t all about lolipops and butterflies! Teach your children to be grateful for what they receive.. not to think they just deserve the same thing as everyone else just because they breath the same air. Eventually, they will grow up and have to decide how hard they are willing to work for the things they want. Nothing wrong with that.

Teach your children gratitude and respect for what they have and stop policing every other parent on their actions to try and save face with your kids.

What are Your Feelings?