This is a question for those of you who are the parents of kids, recently were kids or plan to have kids (and that should just about cover everyone!).
What is the line between doing nice things for your kids and spoiling them? My husband and I have two girls, 7 and 9 years old and I am starting to worry that I spoil them, which I absolutely don't want to do. They don't act obnoxious or anything, but they don't ever get very excited over things I get for them or places I take them. It's almost like they see these things as no big deal.
When my sister and I were growing up, we had (financially) nothing, zilch, nada. I'm talking most of my wardrobe in junior high came passed down from the daughter of the family my grandma cleaned house for (so much for me being the typical sorority girl, right? lol). Because of the freaky way our school district is set up, I went to school in probably the wealthiest suburb of our city so I saw every day all the things everyone else seemed to take for granted but I didn't have. Okay, enough of that and back to the present
....
Now I am fortunate enough to have a good measure of financial stability in my life and, since day one, whenever I got something for my girls, it was always the best of whatever. I guess a shrink would guess that I'm trying to make up for all the stuff I didn't have as a kid. Anyhoo...since I can afford to give them things, I find that I can't say no to anything they ask for. CD's? No problem. DVD's? Sure! A shopping spree at Limited Too for no reason? Why not? OF course, you need Converse high tops in every color! Horseback riding lessions? Your own saddle? Sleepaway tennis camp? You get the point. I don't know where to draw the line. When I was a kid, I guess it was easy for my parents to know when to stop because we just couldn't afford much. So now, what do I do if it's not an issue of what I can afford?
I get the impression that quite of you late teen/twentysomethings grew up in a house where material things were readily available. Were you spoiled? Why or why not? Where do you draw the line?
Thanks, guys, for any help!
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