Help: My Husband Spoils the Kids on Christmas
By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK
DEAR WHYS GUY:
"Every Christmas, my husband goes really overboard buying presents for our kids. I tell him we don't need 50 more toys in our house (that they didn't even ask for, or know existed!), and that our kids need to learn that less can be more. But he's still shopping like a maniac. Any advice?"
Related: What Your Man Really Thinks in Bed
DEAR REDBOOK READER:
Whenever I get my kids more presents than they need, it's usually because deep down I'm giving them things I want. Does my five-year-old really need a Lego X-Wing in addition to the other stuff he's getting? Of course not, but I really want to help build that bad boy and drink in the wonder that is Luke's sweet ride. At some point, perhaps when your husband's building a Lego Hogwarts Express that both kids are totally disinterested in, or when he finds himself yelling, "Be more careful with MY authentic light up Light Saber!" he'll get some self-awareness and realize he's just spoiled the kids with presents he wants for his inner child.
Then as he's putting your kids to bed and they're acting like screaming, over-stimulated Christmas messes, he'll say to himself, "I should never do this again. I've learned my lesson, it doesn't matter how cool Lego X-Wings, Hogwarts Expresses, and authentic light up Light Sabers are, my kids don't need more than three or four small presents. Christmas is about family, not stuff." Then he'll forget that conversation with himself and do the same exact thing next year.
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