Happy Holidays from Mommy Connections Leduc!!

12/20/2011

The holidays come with their own batch of Mommy guilt- I find it follows me daily to some extent, but with the holidays comes new opportunities for me to lay awake at night feeling like I could have done better. The treats and cookies all over; the late nights; the tv-babysitter as Mommy desperately tries to get things wrapped/ baked/ cleaned/ organized….. and then there are the presents. I want to make it special for my toddler, especially since he is so excited this year for the first time AND since it’ll be our last Christmas of 3 since baby is coming very soon BUT I don’t want to make the holiday about presents and getting. I struggle with balancing our two families- in my family we have always gotten one ‘special’ present and a few others but in my husbands family it’s piles and piles of gifts. It overwhelms me, I’ll be honest. While my kid is too young now to understand buying a goat for World Vision, or putting together a hamper for a family at church- I do my best to explain it anyway. I want him to grow up a compassionate person, not one obsessed with material items and yet I caved and bought the Rock and Roll Elmo he decided he had to have last week! (Not to mention the Twilight Turtle I bought from All Natural Babies for him and his unborn sibling!)

How do you find balance? Do you set a number of presents for each child? Do you consciously make an effort to show your child a ‘giving spirit’? Or are you much more relaxed than I am and just enjoy the season with your children?

Either way, Happy Holidays from our family to yours! To all our past Mommies, to our new Mommies & Daddies and to all our Mommy Connection friends- have a safe and happy holiday season. <3