Bah Humbug!!

I think it's to do with what you teach them about money and 'stuff' as they grow up.  We've not really ever had a lot of money, so my son's always had pocket money (which he has to do jobs around the house for), most of what we get is second hand and he got very good at a young age at saving up for bigger items.  What's especially good about saving is that, if it takes ages, the thing he wants to buy has often come down in price by the time he's got the money together, or people have already got bored with them and are selling them secondhand so he can save himself a few quid.  I don't think not teaching them about money and just giving them what they want does them any favours; it must be hard to adjust when you start earning and suddenly see that it doesn't magically appear before you.

I think I only know one person who has kids who are quite demanding and I think that was because she over-indulged them when their dad left, which I can understand as you want to try to make them feel better.  But you do need to know when to put the brakes on; a little bit is alright but you have to sort of get back to normal at some stage.  It does baffle me that a lot of people won't just say no, or sit them down and explain to them, look, it costs this much, it's only that price because of the name, this one does the same job but is fifty pound less, etc.  You don't tend to value things if you just get them constantly, I think.  I don't have a terribly good relationship with my mum but I do credit her with teaching us that you needed to get off your backside if you wanted something and because we didn't have much as kids, it has made me able to do quite a bit with not a lot (although the same can't be said for my sister, lol, so I don't quite know who you turn out different when you experience the same thing?)

I think there was a lot less to buy when we were kids as well, and we knew there wasn't any money so we never asked for anything because we knew we'd just get told no lol.

The pressure is hard but at the same time I do think some parents need to grow a pair and just tell them they can't have something or they have to save up for it themselves.  It's hard at school - we got a lot of stick at school for being 'gypos' and we never had all the stuff some of the other kids got, but it does help you differentiate between the arseholes and the non-arseholes from an early age   And funnily enough, there was a school reunion last year.  I didn't go but had a good nosy at everyone's profiles on Facebook and the people I thought were arseholes then are still arseholes now   Lol.

I can't bear people bad mouthing about presents!  Sometimes I get given something I won't use but I usually know someone else who will so it gets passed on and I'd never moan about it.  I have a bug bear which makes me feel like a spectacular old woman and that's people not saying thank you when you've sent them something.  I have to ask my sister if her kids got their card and money, she never says and the kids haven't been taught to say thank you, so they don't.  It's another thing I don't get with siblings, because we had to write thank you letters as children, one a night until they were all done.  I still do it now and I've always got my son to do it as well, I just think if someone has taken the trouble to send you something the least you can do is a note (or a text will do!) saying thank you.  I asked a friend if her son had got the money I'd sent him for his birthday earlier this year and she said she didn't know, he just took all his stuff upstairs when he got in from school!  Lol, so I'll not be sending them anything next year, I will spend the money on myself   (Or on my boy, who at least says thank you!  Lol).

Had my hair cut today at my turky barbers and whilst there overheard another customer saying he'd spent over £900 for christmas so far and hadn't yet bought his wife her present. His barber reckoned he'd spent over £400. Just wondering who the sad fuck is, them blowing that much for one day, or me thinking what I could do with that much cash over a year.