Well… it happened. Despite hanging on to those warm summer days as long as I possibly could, the Target holiday toy catalog arrived today. Barbies, Nintendos, and drones, oh my! Eighty-seven pages of everything that my children could never even dream of, like a mermaid tail, color-your-own bath bombs, and a life size plush tiger.
Both kids immediately began to fight over it, ripping pages and shouting at the top of their lungs.
“I’M GOING TO ASK SANTA FOR A LOL SURPRISE HOUSE!”
“I WANT A NIGHT VISION CAMERA!”
“I NEEEEEED A POOPSIE… NO, TWO POOPSIES!”
(By the way, did you even know that there is an actual toy called a “Poopsie Slime Surprise?”)
Like most of us, I struggle daily with the balance of electronics vs. playing outside, TV vs. homework, and chicken nuggets WITH a vegetable vs. chicken nuggets on their own. So now that my kids are 6 and 8 (and asking for dolls named “Poopsie”) I am more terrified than ever about my holiday gift giving choices as a parent.
I know what they want, but my natural instinct is to give them the things that I think they need: socks, underpants, and more socks. Where do I draw the line between what I’m comfortable gifting and what they’re willing to settle for?
So, this is where I need your help:
How do you handle the holiday gifts for your kiddos? Do you splurge on what they want or keep them grounded by giving them only what they need? Is there a formula you use to find balance? And most importantly, do I “Poopsie” or not?
Rebecca Latham lives in New Mexico with her husband, two children and two pit bulls. She serves as the Cabinet Secretary of the NM Tourism Department and CEO of the New Mexico True brand, and lives out her ultimate mom fantasy as Vice President of the PTA and Daisy Girl Scout Troop Leader. Rebecca was named 2017 National Mother of the Year® and finds pleasure in baking, gardening and oakey chardonnay.
