Today, my baby, my first born, turns 13.
Yes, 13.
Wow. My how time flies.
Today started out good. I got up early, got the balloons out of the car, made waffles and bacon (he's *always requesting waffles on a school day and I almost always tell him no).
He got a few small things at breakfast - an Itunes gift card, a Life Is Good t-shirt, an Aeropostale T-shirt, Billabong shorts.....
And I'm hoping to surprise him with a cell phone this afternoon.
But, and I don't know where we went wrong.....
...He's disappointed that he didn't get either the aggressive inline skates (at least $159!) or the AK47 automatic airsoft rifle that he's been eyeing ( I think that's $100, too). Geesh. Not only are those two items expensive, but I'm not sure that I support either one. The gun, for obvious reasons - and it's not like I'm a fanatic or anything, he does have airsoft guns and plays with friends in the neighborhood - I just don't want a) spend that much and b) get something that's quite so "real", kwim?
And the aggressive skates? They're for skateboard-type moves. I don't *want him looking for places to do that - like strip mall parking lots. And he doesn't know *how to inline skate. And I want him to try it out before we commit and buy. And the two other kids that I know he wants to do this with are not supervised. And I'm not so sure they're a great influence in those circumstances. And I think he would break his leg again. Or his head. Or an arm. I swear I'm not overprotective. I just don't think he'll use them as much as their price tag would indicate.
He already has a bike and a skateboard that don't get much use.
So, now, my new teenager is sullen and thinks we're cheap. And dear husband is mad at his attitude. And I'm just a little bit frustrated.
How do we surprise and delight our children, while still protecting them and also teaching them to appreciate what they've got? Why does it seem that birthdays and Christmas always seem to come with bigger and grander expectations?
It's hard because we do have a good life. Not extravagant, but comfortable. We budget. And stick to it. We spend more than some on vacations, but I know that I spend waaay less on groceries (which sucks sometimes). I used to spend $100 every two weeks on gas, now it's $200. That definitely hurts. The only way I'm handling that is with money from my Dad's estate. My husband is fanatic about tracking and limiting credit card purchases and paying it off every month.
We're not cheap, but we're not extravagant. How do we teach our children about those choices and the balances we strive for?
::::sigh::: It was so much easier when he was small enough to hold and cuddle and kiss his booboos to make them go away. When a 5 minute time-out could cure all.
Enjoy the day.
Oh, there I am.
1 week ago
