Aibu to wonder why people treat Easter and Christmas as competitions to out weigh other parents?

[M0naLisa]

First off my boys of 6 & 5 got an egg each from me and DH worth £4. Ds3 who's 17 weeks got a £5 soft teddy bear/sheep. That's it.

They got a further 5 eggs from family.

On Facebook (I know) people posting pictures of what's the 'Easter Bunny' left. (I am guilty of this too but mines a normal picture of chocolate eggs )
Most pictures ive seen today had wrapped pregnant a stacked high, bikes, skateboards, scooters and massive eggs the size of a house - for a 4 year old.

Then you've got people applying saying they are sad they haven't spoilt their little ones as they've only bought them 3 eggs each and colouring books, socks and DVDs.

I thought kids received chocolate at Easter.
I also used to receive a cross from folded beige palm paper (or something) can't remember the name now.

I don't know who these people are. But then I don't seem to live in a world where competitive Easter present giving is normal let alone posting the evidence on FB. Although what's not to like about a picture of someone enjoying chocolate for breakfast - as dgd did!

As a family we've never gone in for Easter presents as such anyway but I have bought dgd a small toy to go with her small Easter egg but that's because she doesn't need (and her parents would prefer she didn't) to consume her entire weight in chocolate.

Well I find the competitive frugalness on her rather irritating tbh. My dc got four eggs and a chocolate rabbit each from me and a small toy worth about a tenner each. They also got some eggs from various family members. So what? Do what you want.

I did not post about it on FB.

Agree with OestraJen

I put photos on fb all the time of Easter/birthdays/xmas as well as special surprises dh buys me.

Most of my friends do and i would never think bad of the its always a case of oh how lovely, or haven't such and such done well

Easter presents are completely normal around our area. We have 3dcs and Easter cost well over £100 for them and im not trying to compete i buy them what we can afford to

As far as our DC are concerned the Easter Bunny brings the eggs. We usually buy them one egg each and have lots of little eggs to do an egg hunt around the garden, which they love. We also do some Easter baking, crafts and an Easter themed trip and we read the Easter story so that they know where it all came from.

I hate having mountains of chocolate in the house, because I eat it all. Unfortunately, this year some relatives came and brought them eggs so there were more to find this year and DS (almost 8) was astonished to find so many big eggs (4 each)

Nothing wrong with posting pics on FB, and I don't go for competitive frugality, but there's a world of difference between a few eggs/DVDs/trinkets and a bike/skateboard/mountain of eggs. Mine had a few eggs each, and we bought them some craft stuff from Yellow Moon to keep them occupied decorating the dining room.

I put pics of my DC on Facebook all the time not in a braggy way. It was to say look how much we've spent.

Wasnt*

hmm.
we went to church this morning as usual, but unlike during lent, we sang really loud joyful music.

and the gloria.
and an introit anthem which is unusual for a 10o'clock service.

there were posh biscuits afterwards too.
dh and I have an egg each.
dd hasn't got an egg, but I did buy her a mini library of board books about the easter story. that I've managed not to bring home. but I'll fetch it later.

What Hecsy said.

People who show off on Facebook shouldn't inspire jealousy.

Don't you just feel a bit sorry for them?

But why do you/they buy Easter presents (of the bikes, skateboards ilk), threesy? What's the reasoning behind it? I'm just curious.

Without analysing it too much, I think maybe, in doing this, my sister (and other primary school friends) are saying something like "I might have been one of 6 scruffbags crammed in to the scruffiest house on the worst estate in town, but look at me now with my warm, well dressed children in our lovely, tidy home full of nice things with all these Easter eggs we can easily afford."

I've bought 3yo dd one Easter egg. Mil and Bil have got her a couple more.
Mil also got her some pj's and tops as Easter presents.

uncongenial mil would have given dd the pjs anyway as dd needed some new ones so just wrapped them up as an Easter treat.

Unfortunately we're all in bed with what we think is d&v so wont be eating the chocolate for a while.

Its Easter,its for kids so why not I've always bought them a large £10/15 egg each and then they get whatever they ask for as a present, and a new outfit for Easter Sunday it's just the done think here

I don't care what anyone else buys their kids.
I especially find it hypocritical when people spend copious amounts on Easter when they don't know the slightest thing about what is Easter stands for.

I was especially miffed when the card shops were covered in Easter cards.
It's bad enough that I have to get all my winter birthday cards in October. Then I have to get my April ones well before Mother's Day, and now this.
As dh maintains it's all a scam by the card manufacturers to get you to spend more and more cash.

Who cares if little Johnny gets 65 eggs?

I don't feel any need to over indulge my dcs. They know that they are provided with the thing that money cannot buy- a stable, secure, loving family.

YANBU I thought that too. My dd (18) got a thorntons egg only because of her age but that's it. Sunday dinner and cake. It's a shame children are being brought up to expect so much materialistic things.

There's going to be lots of entitled teenagers/young adults in a few years.

New outfits, eggs (any size/number) I can understand and are not a new concept.
But why a bike, skateboard or other large present for Easter? Even from an non-religious point of view I'm struggling to see the connection or reasoning behind it.

My kids got a £1 Easter egg of us and 3 from others. That's it.

uncongenial maybe they believe the phrase "Christ on a bike!" ?!

Why are the kids presumed not to come from loving table homes if they are over indulged [buconfused] silly thing to assume that as you don't buy alto your children are cared for in a superior way

stable. a lot stupid phone

stable. a lot stupid phone

I beat my children daily and make their lives a misery, hence then have a lot of eggs, because that is exactly how it works.

Easter bunny used to bring a summer toy when the DSs were little. Bike one year, scooter another. They were both born in winter so it was a nice opportunity to give them something for nice weather

I liked them getting big presents from nonexistent entities as it stopped them nagging me.

No Facebook posting though as it didn't exist then.

Shrugs. Worked for me. I don't judge people for treating their kids

Oh and when they were old enough not to believe in Easter bunny they got an egg each

I think if you did a straw pole about the amount of presents kids from the same social background receive, you will find that it is those kids from broken (to use a phrase) homes who are overindulged.
I really believe this to be the case.
Overindulged by most family members to compete with the estranged partner. They don't want to appear to be the skinflint. They have to buy their child's love to make up for the guilt that they feel. This admittedly is on a subconscious level. That is not to say that other types of parents don't overindulge their children, yes they do but not on the same level, or with materialist goods that would be considered beyond their means.

I have seen this time after time.
Daddy buys Johnny a computer. Not to be outdone Mummy then stumps up for a playstation. Daddy takes Johnny to Disneyland. Mummy then pays for Johnny to go skiing. It is always the kids who are not with both biological parents, always.