I love fall in New England. I love the colors, the cooler weather, the seasonal goodies, apple picking... I love it all. But I discovered this year that I had to have the $$$ conversation with Kiley more than I would like to. An $8 horse ride, $3 for a turn in a moonbounce, $6 for a small pumpkin just because it has Hello Kitty painted on it, $10 for face-painting, $15 for carnival rides... the list goes on and on! And my child wants to do it all. But, I'm the type of parent who thinks I wouldn't be doing a good job as a parent if I said yes to it all. So we made choices, and she wasn't very happy with me for some of them (why pay $8 to ride a horse for a matter of minutes... I've had her in Kanab where she could ride them for free at Uncle Cody's)! Oh, and the face-painting? She won on that one. I was informed while standing in line that it cost $6 (which I thought was a bit much for something that would be washed off in a matter of hours, but hey, that's just me), only to find out afterwards that it was really $10. Cha-ching!
But as I was telling my parents about it they simply asked, "But was she just so happy?" And the answer to that is yes, yes she was SOOO happy.
I realize that the concept of money is a bit beyond a four-year old's scope. Am I cheap? Am I overly sensitive to sticker shock? How do others deal with these situations? I wish every ounce of happiness imaginable for my child, but I don't want a price tag or an item acquired to drive bliss. I'm learning that it's not always easy to say "no." I suppose as parents, we need to make sure we balance buying things, with happy and fun moments that come without a price tag. Instead of buying the Hello Kitty pumpkin, we went home and painted one ourselves.
Baby Update: This will probably be my last post for a few weeks. My parents are due to arrive in a few days, and baby will come shortly thereafter. I pray for a safe and healthy arrival for this little one. We are so anxious to meet her.
4 comments:
Was that the Apple fest? I skipped this year just for that reason. I always spend way to much, then I resent that, and its no good. But, I'm sure I will give in next year.
Thanks for the nice post. We would love to see you sometime. Education Weeks would be great. The CT girls pic was Women's Conference. I didn't go since they don't allow nursing baby's, but I met up for lunch. Bethany spoke. I wish I could have heard her. As for the money thing we just went though that yesterday when my 8 year old wanted me to go buy her a beach cruiser (bike), RIGHT NOW, eventhough she has a perfectly good bike and her b-day was just 3 weeks ago. I was the meanest mom since every other mom had bought their child a beach cruiser. Which somehow I don't totally believe. Anyways... Excited to see the new Gallagher, best of luck.
P.S. $10 for face painting is waaaaaaaaay too expensive. ouch.
Good luck with your baby! I can't wait to hear all about her.
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