Christmas 2022

 This Christmas we continued with our gift giving categories.  They are: Something to Read, Something to  Wear, Something for Fun, and Something you Need.  We're finding that Esther really appreciates something to read, while the boys have pie in the sky desires that are harder to fulfill.  

Isaac this year begged and begged and begged for a Nintendo switch, which we were loathe to give.   I personally stink at video games and have found zero pleasure in them.  In addition to that, I have seen a few people begin to waste their lives away in front of video games.  So I have denied Isaac this gift for as long as he has been asking--probably about 3-4 years.  All of his pleas and reasons fell on deaf ears.  

Then this year, he changed tactics slightly.  He took advantage of my one of my biggest weaknesses to get what he wanted.  He wrote a persuasive essay about why he should get a switch.  Even though I found his arguments sorely lacking, the fact that he used educational means and writing skills to persuade me was impressive.  In the end, Santa Claus decided that it would be best for Mom and Dad to have a switch, not the kids.  That hasn't stopped them from binge playing all last week, but this week of the new year we are now going to have to tighten those controls and make sure the kids know that the switch belongs to mom and dad, not to them.  This should be a fun experiment and I'm sure there'll be more to follow on whether it was an outright disaster or one more tool in our parenting toolbox to help the kids do some of what Isaac promised in his essay to us... like not arguing with his mom and dad and playing with his brother and sister, instead of fighting with them.  We shall see.