Do you ever just buy your kids toys, you know, just for being good kids.
I would say, 99% of the time we don’t.
Our kids get toys for Christmas and their birthdays and occasionally from grandparents, but from us, mom and dad, for no reason, hardly ever.
For the last couple of weeks, my first grader has been coming home from school wearing and talking about rubber band bracelets her friends made at home.
Last night my kids and I were at a friend’s house and his second grader had one of these bracelet makers. I watched as our two girls searched videos on You Tube getting ideas for what to create, planning it out themselves and spending the next hour making this rubber band jewelry.
It was pretty cool.
So this morning I decided I would buy one of these toys for my daughter. For no particular reason at all.
Does my daughter DESERVE this? I don’t know.
Is she a really good kid most of the time? Absolutely. She does well in school, does her homework (with little complaining), hangs out with her brother and sister even when she doesn’t want to but we make her do it, and in general, is just a good kid.
Is she a complete pain in the ass other times? Yes. She talks back, eye rolls, stops off, and complains with the best of them, but not all that often.
Is it fair she was the only one I bought a toy for? Maybe. I don’t think it makes sense to “keep score” with our kids.
So what do you think? Am I spoiling our little princess? Or am I just a parent being a parent?
-Pete