I certainly hope all of you had a wonderous few days and a very Merry Christmas season !
Ours was certainly better than last, but in it though, was a learning experience taken to heart. What seems like sooo very long ago now it was that Christmas was about what you recieved. I would SPOIL the kids by showering them with gifts of every shape and size, lavashing them with the tons of things they just didn't need. "Santa" would leave so many gifts that it took HOURS to unwrap them all, and sometimes days to unwind them from the packages. It was bad. But at that time I was in a world of "I had to give my kids better than I had" ... or " I love you , so I have to give you whatever you ask for" .... Geeze, I wish I could go back and re do that !
I can't believe that I thought I knew more than what some people tried to tell me. Watching my kids now - I can't even remember half of that crud we had given to them, here we are years later - and I don't even think we have more than half of all that "stuff" left around here. All I did was supply the stores with more money then we had to give ! I bought into the commercialism, the exact things that the stores WANTED and obviously NOT benefitting me at all. What I had "thought" to be so important, was in fact NOT that way at all ! In fact, as the kids got older .... more often than not, the stuff hit the yard sales we'd had or was given away here or there.
SAD.
So now that Cameron and Grace are the same ages apart that Jordan and Brittany are, it was a good time to reprioritze my thoughts and get them in order. Now over the last few years - with Adam losing his job, us our house to the lawsuit and a baby, we all learned the VERY hard and painful way that life was NOT kind to those that wanted to live in the material world !! My older kids have accepted in shopping at other places instead of Hollister, Abercrombie or Gap - places I grew up thinking were of the utmost importance. Instead now, I realize that it was time which was the true gift. Time .... something money cannot buy, but only that of which YOU can give.
I see others in my shoes .. the ones I walked in for so many years and to tell you the truth I feel sorry for them. I wish WITH every PORE OF MY SOUL that while thier kids are young, they could realize this same thing that took me so long to realize ! I spent many years giving my kids so many material things - but not the thing that was free, ME. ....... and you know what .. kids are funny. They are HAPPIER without getting EVERYTHING they want ! I have come to realize that you HAVE TO give kids some dissappointment for if you do not, they don't know how to handle it when they DO recieve it .. and in life, whether we like it or NOT we do get disappointments !
Now, my kids have gotten better in understanding that greed and selfishness come hand in hand with what I did those times. They realize that this was a mistake that I made and one that they do not want to propetuate in the future generations. I wonder though, had I never realized this - what kind of people would my children be ???? Would everything have to be about them in life or would they be selfish greedy people ? Would they grow up and never be happy with what they had, but always want more ??? Would they not know some kids don't get what they have ??? I did see them on this road and it scared me .... perhaps the reason for the changes. One of a lot of thoughts....
So while the feeling of wanting to give my kids every little thing they want still gets to me occasionally, this year at Christmas instead of getting numerous gifts each, they got just the FEW they wanted THE most ! .. and NOT ONE thing more.
(.. and oh yeeeea.... I am far more happier NOT having to de-box everything and untie, unsew, un un any toy out of ANY box either !!! hehehehe :Op)
The kids have spent all day today and yesterday not being over whelmed with so many things. Instead enjoying the time spent with what they did get, and ACTUALLY playing with it !!! They are having SUCH a BETTER time without all the STUFF I *thought* they needed to have !!!
.. and they will be BETTER people because of it ! They will realize that LOVE is not purchased and set pretty under a tree - but instead a gift that is free and given from the heart. The same gift that God gave us the night Jesus was born. The REAL reason for Christmas !
So in writing this, My wish is that the certain person I am thinking about, lets this same thing I had to learn from, go to heart.
SOMETIMES BLESSINGS are BETTER when they are SMALLER .....
Happy Holidays - TAMMIE
Glad you had a nice Christmas with your family. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you posted this blog on your Multiply. I must be getting old because it was easier to read here than over on FB with tiny font.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Glad that you all had such a nice Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI know whatcha mean..I see some of my friends do the same thing w/their kids..it's just CRAZY how over-board they can get on the gifts. I mean..don't get me wrong..I always got alot of good stuff..but jeeezzzz...not nothing like they do now a days. They probably can't even tell ya half the stuff they got...lol And it seems like now they're doing the same thing w/Birthdays. They're getting as much for Birthdays as we used to get for "Christmas"!..lol This gift giving thing has gotten outta hand. I like the way you did it. That's a good idea! Glad you had a nice Christmas! That's a pretty tree and decorations! Good to see you over here on Multiply! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteWow. I would wish your realizations and maturity upon the entire population, and they would be better off for it. This kind of thinking helps me to realize the methods of the blessings in my own life have been so far from what most people would consider 'good' that they would miss the blessings entirely. So I take the pain and look for the good coming from it, like yourself. Thank you for sharing this most important of life's lessons.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys !!!! :O)
ReplyDelete