"I want more"

Forget the discomfort I felt every time my child mentioned Santa Claus this morning; what I found truly disturbing, was that the more presents he unwrapped, the more he said (whined, actually) "I want more."


I had been dreading Christmas morning, because of what I felt was an excessive amount of gifts under the tree. (Call me a Grinch, but I feel less is more.) Even so, I must admit it was a lovely moment when The Boy found his first four (!) gifts laid out for him under the tree. His enjoyment combined with Grandma's pleasure over of his enjoyment warmed my cold little heart with what I can only describe as the Christmas spirit.

That lasted about five minutes.

The Boy started to play with his new toys, and normally that would have kept him occupied for ages, but when he realized that there was more to be had under the tree, he started discarding each shiny new treasure almost before he had seen what it was, and his plaintive bleat for more presents made my heart shrink three sizes that day.

I don't want my kid to feel deprived, but I also don't want him to grow up with the expectation that whatever he wants is his for the asking. I'm not sure how to strike that balance, but I do know that the less he gets, the happier he is with what he's got. Of course, all that will change once he discovers the wonders of commercial t.v.