Ugh

Okay, this article is driving me nuts. Go read it, or at least look at the picture and the caption, and then come back.

So what do you think? Is McKenna lucky to have a mommy who forgoes her designer jeans to give her what looks to me like hundreds of dollars worth of toys?

These are the things that annoy me about this article:

1. Kids are part of the family.

“I want her to be able to look back,” Ms. Hunt declared, "and say, ‘Even though they were tough times, my mom was still able to give me stuff.’ "

Lots of stuff. I know I'm a miserly and misanthropic Luddite, but sheesh. Cutting back on Stuff for yourself so you can give them (excessive) piles of unnecessary Stuff is silly. I'm not talking about parents giving their children all of the 14 corn kernels they have managed to forage to eat that day, which is seriously not silly. I'm talking about making your kids part of your family experience. Giving your kids tons of useless Stuff when the whole family budget is reduced is silly. Making your kid believe she is the center of the world, not a part of a family and a society, is silly.*

2. Designer jeans are silly.

3. It is NOT A BAD THING TO NOT SPEND MONEY!!!!!!!! It is a GOOD IDEA!!!!!!!!

4. Shopping kills people.


* I'm not sure I practice what I preach. Dutch definitely thinks she's the center of the universe. Dutch is a tremendously lucky kid, with wonderfully generous family and friends, and she has a ridiculously large amount of Stuff. But she knows we can't afford most of what she wants (or we want), and she knows that if she wants something, she can buy it with her allowance... we'll see if she turns out a miser or a spendthrift.

Comments

Diane Feissel said…
Agreed - this story is gross, on many counts. Sheesh.

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