I have a dilemma with buying for my two kids...my son is 12 and my daughter is 9. They have both mentioned a few things they want but they are just ridiculously overpriced. I try to teach them to take care of the things that are important to them but it has yet to sink in. I've spent hundreds of dollars on gifts--and their dad too (we are divorced)-so they pretty much get what they want. I have considered not buying them anything this year and giving them money instead. I was hoping that if they were to buy the things they wanted they might take better care of their things. Is this a good or bad idea?? Does anybody have any other suggestions?
2006-10-31 01:24:49 · 10 answers · asked by WonderTwit 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
Try a different approach.
Have them maybe do for others this holiday..
Maybe send xmas packages to soldiers in Iraq
www.anysoldier.com
great sit to find one
Also Id give gift cards over cash... I know with our 12 year old she is far less likely to spend HER money unwisely on something she does not really want then OUR money..
If your kids are used to getting what they want then they may not take the change all that well so be prepared.
But gift cards ae a good idea.
Our daughter does not give us a xmas list and never has... during the year she sees things she would like and we just pay attnetion to the things that we can afford that she is STILL likeing by Xmas... But she is happy for whatever she gets as she has no expectations.
In our home Xmas is about spending time as a family, sleeping late, lazying around, and just having some fun.. the gifts are really icing on teh cake and we have never made them the main part of the holiday...
I bet our daughter is the only kid in the US who sleeps in on Xmas morning! Last year it was 11 am when she rolled out of bed!
Dont get me wrong she loves the gifts,, we all do.. but weve never made that be the main focus...
Good Luck
Wismom
2006-10-31 02:25:51 · answer #1 · answered by Wismom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you can do two things. First work a budget 50.00 per child or what you can afford and 2 days before Christmas drive them to walmart mall target an let them shop. Second you can give them 5 10 dollars from there budget an buy toys from the dollar store an some canned food an give to a shelter. my mom has done that for ever an now i do it with my own children.
2006-10-31 14:29:38 · answer #2 · answered by rodeogirl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can get them gift cards and let them pick at their own stuff...
or you can give them money. I rem when I turned about 13, my mom just gave us cash instead of presents. I would just get them a few small things,cds, games, etc and stocking stuffers but I think the goft cards to their fav store is the best bet.
Also, maybe they can save their own money for the overprices stuff if they really want it...That is how my daughter got her 1st gameboy and all of her nintendo ds games-saving her money.
2006-10-31 11:19:34 · answer #3 · answered by Willow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really got a load of crappy answers on this question. The thing to remember is you are there for your kids. You love them. Anything else that you buy for them can only take a distant second.
2006-10-31 20:54:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
let me start this answere with as story::::last december my daughter (then 17) and i were finishing our shopping and she had already spent more than half of her own christmas money on things to donate--$25 dollars worth of food for the foodbank, diapers and wipes for the diaper drive, two soccer balls for toys for tots(one girl and one boy) and even 2 books for the local book drive-----she said to me "mom i want you to remind me as i grow up how good this makes me feel, so i dont forget to keep doing it every year!!"
every yr my husband set an amt that we will spend on each of our children and then stick to that amt as close as possible.
from the time our children were two or three have had as part of their holiday responsibility the choosing of a gift for a child of their own age and sex, the gifts then are placed by the child into the "toys for tots" bins, each of my children know that "santa" expected them to share christmas with others, and then eventually knew that the money for these gifts came from the money dad and mom used from their gifts. they also knew that mom, dad and their whole family also adopted a service person from our local area to take part in our holiday celebration, some small gifts--dinner---and time away from the base when they could not go home.
each of my three children have in turn used their own earned money(from their 1st jobs kind of thing)rather than from mom and dad to do similar things.
2006-10-31 20:53:42 · answer #5 · answered by TchrzPt 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have them make a list of thing they want for Christmas and have them list them in order by what they want to most and just get them 1 or 2 things from the list. or if they things they what are way too pricey, they could earn part of it through chores or other tasks
2006-10-31 13:20:05 · answer #6 · answered by SaraH ♥'s Jesus! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think for the girl some close,doll's or just ask them to write a list for christmas The boy toy's and game's
2006-10-31 12:43:11 · answer #7 · answered by nishsbooth17 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
buy them the PC game diablo 2, he will become totally obsessed with it so you an your husband can have alone time. be sure to get the expansion set. now there is a way for you and your husband together while your son and his hand are together
2006-10-31 09:33:41 · answer #8 · answered by Dylan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you and your ex-husband could go in together and buy what they really want and then neither one of you would be over spending and then you could give a gift card with it.
2006-10-31 13:21:30 · answer #9 · answered by AMANDA M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Show them this web site so that they realise the importance of giving to others at Xmas
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/press/releases/unwrapped241104.htm
2006-10-31 09:33:22 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋