“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!!”
I really don’t like when my kids yell this at each other. It happens at least once a week – mostly between my girls. Trust me, none of us want to venture into my son’s room! *shiver* But regardless of where it starts, my automatic response is “That’s not your room…I’m just letting you borrow it!”.
Typical scenario:
Laila: “DAD, CAN YOU TELL JORDAN TO GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”
Me: “That’s not your room…I’m just letting you borrow it”
Laila: “BUT SHE’S MESSING WITH MY STUFF!”
Me: “A: That’s not your stuff – you didn’t buy it and B: What if I come in there and touch something; are you going to make me get out?”
Laila: Huffing and puffing then silence
Me: Smiling and savoring another small victory…LOL!
This is just one small example, but it’s indicative of our broader attitude of our kids. It’s really our fault…our kids are spoiled (not spoiled rotten, but spoiled) – and I actually like it that way. However, we also need them to understand that someone is doing the spoiling, and not to take it for granted. So we try our best to keep them grounded and knowing that there are plenty of children out there that don’t have their own “things”…rooms, clothes, toys, etc. So throughout the year, we make it a point to engage our children in “giving back” activities – donating clothes and shoes, giving money to a variety of causes, volunteering our time, sponsoring families for the holidays. Even so, we could always do more…but I digress.
So back to the point of this blog, we’ve always made it a point to ensure that our kids know that mom and dad are their primary benefactors (with assists from family and friends). They tend to be more appreciative using this approach. Christmas is a perfect example; we’ve never let our kids believe in Santa (he was just a commercial conspiracy) and that fat dude with the beard at the mall was really just a fat dude with a beard at the mall! LOL! My personal belief is that when kids get everything they want for Christmas – and they think Santa came down the chimney and put it all there – their reality can become skewed and expectations can go awry. What happens when your 8-year-old asks “Santa” for the iPad2 and the MacBook Pro? Uh oh, now what?!?
This approach worked for our kids, but you may find a different way works for you…no judgment here!
If you’ve read this far, your well on your way to “See This Our Way“! In the meantime, my son is complaining about his little sister needing to use “his” toothpaste…let me go refresh his memory!!
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