'I'm done making my kid's childhood magical'

No quarrel with this.

And, I don't think that's what's being argued. I think it's just a realization that you don't have to "keep up with the Jones'" to show/prove/buy you love your child/your child's love.

 

My wife does a ton of the stuff the article rags on, but she's an elementary school teacher, and kind of into that kind of stuff to begin with. She says it's her creative outlet.

 

I think you can do special things that your kids will like without going completely overboard.

We went to a party last year (whole family was invited, not just mu oldest who was friends with the kid). They had rented two bouncy houses, had people dressed up like the Avengers. They didn't have all of them, but they had at least four adults who they had paid to dress up like Superheroes. The lunch was catered and the swag bag had a Blu-Ray copy of Avengers and a pair of movie tickets, among other stuff. Each bag easily would have cost $40 apiece. There were probably 70-80 people there.

There's that, and there's going to Party City and throwing down $50 on plates, cups, napkins, balloons and other stuff for a "themed" party.

 

Why don't you call him, boss.

 

Yeah, not to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but call him.

I'd give just about anything to be able to call my dad. He was here one day. Gone the next. Never had a chance to say "goodbye."

 

Agreed. But the writer in the OP seems to be arguing that because you don't have to go the completely overboard and expensive route, you shouldn't have to do anything.

 

I was 35 when our first child was born and my wife is pretty sensible. We do a lot for the kids and a lot with the kids, but none of it is in an effort to impress people on Facebook.

I still wouldn't take a baby to the ski slopes.

 

I have. I do. It's the point of this thread. Some parents dote. Others put in zero effort.

 

My sister does things very similarly to the way we were raised. I'm not saying that's right or wrong.

She decorates for Christmas in mid-December. The thought of decorating for any other holiday has never occurred to her. Her kids have never sniffed anything resembling a themed birthday party unless going bowling counts and if you go there to celebrate, the over/under on balloons/banners/decorations is zero.

I don't think people should be shamed for making an effort to make holidays and birthdays special for their kids. But I will be the first to agree that if you're going to that extra effort to impress anyone other than your kids, that's misguided.

 

Some folks have difficulty showing love. You look for it where you can locate it.

 

Your sis' kids will be fine.

When I met my now wife, I never knew that Christmas stockings contained goodies. My parents never decorated until mid december. We each had a stocking with our name - it was sewn shut. I thought all stockings were decorations.

 

That's part of what I love most about my community. Before a kids birthday, I came back from Party City with four 99 cent pieces of garbage instead of 2, and my wife said that we were only giving out the 2 because we didn't want to raise the standard. Simple living makes for easier parenting.