Wishin' and Hopin'

Today we went to the mall and visited Santa.

This post isn't actually about the Santa visit, so the only comment I'll make today is that both boys asked him for Wall-E items. Because they both LOVE Wall-E A LOT, just in case you haven't heard.

Up until today, the boys knew Wall-E existed in film, in video games, and on cupcakes. But until we walked into the Disney Store they hadn't realized they could ask for anything more. The Disney Store had an entire Display dedicated to Wall-E. There were stuffed Wall-E and Eve's, there were big robot Wall-E's, little Wall-E and Eve figurines, and even additional robot figurines. There were Wall-E T-shirts and B&L hampers and even a life sized Wall-E robotic arm. There were Wall-E sneakers.

The boys thought they had died and gone to Wall-E heaven. They wanted everything. They asked for everything. And I had to keep repeating over and over that we weren't there to buy anything for ourselves today. All the while I was cursing Santa, how early he drops everything off at our house, and the limit I asked him to put on toys for the boys this year.

I'm not mentioning this to hint for any holiday gift ideas (but seriously, if you haven't gotten these boys anything, go there.) No, what I'm actually trying to describe is what I was feeling at that moment.

Because I wanted to buy that stuff for them. I wanted to buy them every single Wall-E item in that store. All of it. Without a thought to price, to where we'd put it, to how good it would be for them. I wanted to give it to them. To dazzle them with the glittery princess shoes and sneak the saleslady my credit card number so that come Christmas morning our house would be taken over with tiny robot figuringes.

Why? Well, I suppose because they are my children, and I want to see them happy and give them what they want. I think most of us feel this way about anyone we love when we see their eyes light up. The boys were SO excited it was just too easy to get caught up in it all. It would have been so easy to boy them each one thing...

But I didn't. And as of yet I have no intention of returning to that store. Because as much as I want to give them everything, I know that it isn't good for them, in the long run. Because life isn't like that. Be that as it may, I just want to say that I understand the impulse to spoil children. I understand how and why this happens. It's harder than you think to say no.



but seriously, you guys can spoil them all you want. get them a Wall-E.



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