For those of you that don't know, I am the proud mama of 4 kids and I pay the bills by bartending in the evenings, sometimes until 3 or 4 in the morning. Thus- my weekends are insanely hectic. Which is why I didn't post Sat. or Sun. That being said...I was giving!
On Saturday, we gathered all of our winter items that were too small and took them to the Salvation Army homeless shelter downtown. On Sunday, we made a donation to the Gaston Arts Council(who could use plenty more donations, yo) AND got to see The Nutcracker ballet...I took my 5 year old and he LOVED it! I don't have any pictures, but I will post day 5 later today.
The point of doing this is to ensure that I teach my children and remind myself, that Christmas should not be so damn materialistic...My oldest honestly wanted an iPAD2 and an iPHONE "and thats all mom" he already has games, gaming things, a computer, iPOD touch and a cell phone...why on earth would he even think he needed anything else and WHY would he think I would spend 1000 bux on just him this holiday?!? Because of MATERIALISM. Because I haven't done my job keeping them sheltered from commercialism. I allow too much TV and I indulge in too many name brands. I'm a sucker for packaging. The funny thing is, I don't care where my clothing or home items are from. But if my children want something, I've started buckling and buying it for them. I need help. I desperately want to get back to basics and help them see life can be fun without all of the technology, commercials, names, status. Any body out there have any hints or tips?!? They would be greatly appreciated.
3 comments:
When my kids were younger pre-teens, we would take them for drives through the "less fortunate areas". Not say anything about where we were or the residents...but just let them absorb the environment. We would stop in those aeas to use local services - corner store or whatever...so they had a less disconnected experience. Parking a bit away from our destination made that more possible, because we would have to walk down the street and they could take it all in. While we would spend moments in conversation with members of the communities, this left the kids with a few more minutes to feel their surroundings. To see how happy children were in just interacting with one another...playing outside and using their imaginations. Although at home, they had all the latest in gaming systems and technology - there were time restrictions and little to no television.
We had them work with us in our charitable efforts. They would come with us to hospices, hospitals, soup kitchens, etc. and work side by side with us and countless others. This grew into them branching out and either developing their own causes or being instrumental in various others.
Now much older, they will still ask for the "big ticket" items...lol, but they are quicker to lend a helping hand to those in need. They will even give the shirt off their back should the case present itself. They realize their blessings...spoiled as they are. And they are humbled. I hope this helps :)
Thanks for the support! so good to see you yesterday .... and yes, it is hard to avoid the commercialism that has become Christmas. I am helping serve Christmas dinner to the kids at the Boys and Girls Club ... wanna come help and bring the kids? remind them what they have and what others don't.
I think what you are doing is amazing, and I am very proud of the steps are are taking to teach your children the value of love and giving. You are an inspiration to me. Love always.
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