Arrrgh....I need to vent about materialistic kids!

[Guest momk2000]

Dd's good friend lives down the street and they play together often. Her friend is the bossy, bragging type, which I have a hard time with. I often have to bite my tongue when this child is around.

Dd had not seen her friend for about 3 days, and then Christmas day the doorbell rings. Guess who? She jumps right in bragging about all the "stuff" she "got" for Christmas. Dd is pretty good about this stuff, she's not really the jealous type. We do Christmas simply, and the kids don't get loads of "stuff". Both girls received one gift from Santa this year, American Girl Dolls. This kid comes out with: "Did you get a lot of stuff?" Keep in mind, this child already knows all that dd got for Christmas, including what was in her stocking. "Besides the American Girl Doll, what's your favorite present?" I'm really biting my tongue now!

Later after her friend left, I asked dd to put away a bracelet she received in her stocking (it's just an inexpensive stocking stuffer), and she says to me: "**** got a REAL silver, bracelet for Christmas, but this one is nice too." But then before she went to bed, I asked her what she felt was the best Christmas present she ever received, and she said "Jesus". That's all I needed to hear. :)

[ereks mom]

Dd's good friend lives down the street and they play together often. Her friend is the bossy, bragging type, which I have a hard time with. I often have to bite my tongue when this child is around.

Dd had not seen her friend for about 3 days, and then Christmas day the doorbell rings. Guess who? She jumps right in bragging about all the "stuff" she "got" for Christmas. Dd is pretty good about this stuff, she's not really the jealous type. We do Christmas simply, and the kids don't get loads of "stuff". Both girls received one gift from Santa this year, American Girl Dolls. This kid comes out with: "Did you get a lot of stuff?" Keep in mind, this child already knows all that dd got for Christmas, including what was in her stocking. "Besides the American Girl Doll, what's your favorite present?" I'm really biting my tongue now!

Later after her friend left, I asked dd to put away a bracelet she received in her stocking (it's just an inexpensive stocking stuffer), and she says to me: "**** got a REAL silver, bracelet for Christmas, but this one is nice too." But then before she went to bed, I asked her what she felt was the best Christmas present she ever received, and she said "Jesus". That's all I needed to hear. :)

 

:iagree: We have friends and family who are like your dd's friend. Honestly, I feel sorry for them because they either don't know or have lost sight of what it's really all about.

[BlsdMama]

Are you concerned she'll influence your dd?

[Catwoman]

There is a big difference between a kid who gets a lot of presents and a kid who is an obnoxious, bragging brat.

 

My ds gets a lot of presents, but most of his friends never know about most of them because he never mentions them. OTOH, one of the boys in our neighborhood doesn't get half the gifts my ds gets, but he goes on and on about every single one.:glare: He brags about everything and is very annoying.

 

I think the attitude is what matters, not the number of gifts a child receives.

 

Cat

[Kim in TN]

I don't know if you said how old this girl is or not. Are you sure it's bragging? Are you sure it's not just being excited about what she got for Christmas?

 

I think a lot of people on these boards are reading too much into children getting numerous or expensive gifts. I don't think anyone needs to be made to feel guilty because they splurged on this one day a year. Kids get excited and yes, maybe brag to their friends what about what they received. So what?

[Catwoman]

I don't know if you said how old this girl is or not. Are you sure it's bragging? Are you sure it's not just being excited about what she got for Christmas?

 

I think a lot of people on these boards are reading too much into children getting numerous or expensive gifts. I don't think anyone needs to be made to feel guilty because they splurged on this one day a year. Kids get excited and yes, maybe brag to their friends what about what they received. So what?

 

I agree. There is a huge difference between wanting to share your excitement and wanting to make someone else envious. If a kid talks about their gifts in a nice way, that is fine with me, but when the emphasis is on their stuff being better than everyone else's stuff, that is when it is obnoxious.

 

Cat

[justamouse]

I don't know if you said how old this girl is or not. Are you sure it's bragging? Are you sure it's not just being excited about what she got for Christmas?

 

I think a lot of people on these boards are reading too much into children getting numerous or expensive gifts. I don't think anyone needs to be made to feel guilty because they splurged on this one day a year. Kids get excited and yes, maybe brag to their friends what about what they received. So what?

:iagree:

 

you know how this translates when you get older? Not telling anyone about the house you're buying because you can't really share your joy--you're too afraid that people will think you're bragging.

[ChristusG]

I think that it's a very fine line to walk and a kid would have no clue how to walk that line gracefully. If the kid was saying something like "I got more than you. You only got so-and-so? Well, I got three of them." That's outright bragging. But it's hard to tell the difference between excitement and bragging at times.

[Guest momk2000]

There is a big difference between a kid who gets a lot of presents and a kid who is an obnoxious, bragging brat.

 

My ds gets a lot of presents, but most of his friends never know about most of them because he never mentions them. OTOH, one of the boys in our neighborhood doesn't get half the gifts my ds gets, but he goes on and on about every single one.:glare: He brags about everything and is very annoying.

 

I think the attitude is what matters, not the number of gifts a child receives.

 

Cat

 

:iagree: This girl is 11 years old, brags about everything and is very annoying. My dd is only 9. When the child clearly already knew what dd received (one gift from santa) and then asked dd what her favorite gift was besides that particular one (along with her tone), that to me was like a slap in the face. I can hear the difference between excitement and bragging, this was definitely bragging and I didn't appreciate it in the middle of our Christmas day. Dd doesn't seem bothered by stuff like that, she is very thankful for all she has, but she is also very sensitive, so I do worry sometimes.

I do feel very sorry for her friend, because her life seems to revolve around how much she has, and we are not materialistic at all. If we are doing something, her family has already done it, plus more and better. Dd can't talk to her about anything without her friend having to be one up on her. I get terribly annoyed by the attitude, but also really feel sorry for her.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:iagree: This girl is 11 years old, brags about everything and is very annoying. My dd is only 9. When the child clearly already knew what dd received (one gift from santa) and then asked dd what her favorite gift was besides that particular one (along with her tone), that to me was like a slap in the face. I can hear the difference between excitement and bragging, this was definitely bragging and I didn't appreciate it in the middle of our Christmas day. Dd doesn't seem bothered by stuff like that, she is very thankful for all she has, but she is also very sensitive, so I do worry sometimes.

I do feel very sorry for her friend, because her life seems to revolve around how much she has, and we are not materialistic at all. If we are doing something, her family has already done it, plus more and better. Dd can't talk to her about anything without her friend having to be one up on her. I get terribly annoyed by the attitude, but also really feel sorry for her.

 

This is why I said "no" to dd playing with her similarly braggy friend today. I'll let her play with her later in the week once the buzz of Christmas is over.

[Crimson Wife]

I don't know if you said how old this girl is or not. Are you sure it's bragging? Are you sure it's not just being excited about what she got for Christmas?...Kids get excited and yes, maybe brag to their friends what about what they received. So what?

 

Because it's tacky. I would expect my kids to have better manners than to go around blabbing about the gifts they received, particularly in this economy when so many families are hurting.

[Guest momk2000]

This is why I said "no" to dd playing with her similarly braggy friend today. I'll let her play with her later in the week once the buzz of Christmas is over.

 

:iagree: Good idea, I wish I would have done that. :D