to think there is an inverse relationship between how little money people have and how much they are willing to spend on presents for their children

[Twiglett]

am truly gobsmacked at some of the things that people I know are buying for their children

truly and utterly, spoilt bastard, gobsmacked

why spend that much money? why?

Oliveoil, actually, a chuffing goat is exactly what dd2 has asked for! (well not a chuffing one, just a regular live one) She can't have one though, but that's what she's asked for.

for your garden?(!)

or on a card marked "we have bought you a goat for Africa etc etc"

bloody sad materialistic poor people

My Dh said he bought me a goat last christmas but it never arrived
went to some family in africa by mistake
bloody royal mail..

you live in the country

get her a goat you meanie

I also see why people on a lower income go overboard though. I just think it sad that they feel they have to.
Children today seem to expect so much and if they don't get it, they are ridiculed by their friends and that is where the pressure comes in to spend so much.

Oh i see what you meant now, - no not one for poor people in africa as she's nearly 3 and she won't have a social conscience for a while, a real one to live in her bedroom, preferably the pygmy goat she saw once that tried to eat her coat. Ignore me, i've not read the thread i'm just talking to myself about goats and stuff.

we did our letters to FC the other day, posted them off

then dd2 saw some hideous crap on the tv and said I WANT THAT

dd1 sighed and said "dd2. The letter has already GONE" and rolled her eyes

fabulous

Yeah, get her a goat!! A chuffing goat sounds cool! I'd like to see you wrap it though

LOL at chuffin goat, oliveoil.

I suggested to ds he had a metronome for Christmas. He looked... horrified.

Okay, so completely overspending is not a good thing, but foisting one's own ideas upon one's children, if they include insisting they should be content with a slate and chalks when they are 14, is just as bad as being feckless.

(what's a metronome?)

my children are not allowed 'anything from the tele'

"It is never as good as they say, they make it look great so that you'll give them your money and they can buy toys for themselves with it, isn't that right mummy" says DS

(ex-marketeer .. never too early to indoctrinate them

it's a gnome what lives in da city .. really olive sometimes you are so doh!

I was going to ask that, olive...but I didn't want to look silly

ooh, I do that too

was proved when we were given Elephun

what a pile of crap

I think its one of those things with a pendulum that moves back & forth to help you play music at the right speed. (That is such a crap explanation, but I hope you understand! )

I wanted a game called Haunted House when I was 10. It was really expensive and my dad got it for me from Hamleys. It looked so exciting on the telly and it was complete PANTS in real life. Played once and it went to jumble sale.

Now they're a fortune on e-bay.

Jeez Twiglett i was about to make that gnome in a city gag.

The most extravagant gift I heard of was a middle class professional couple who gave their dd a 500 pound rocking horse.
They girl was 2- I think they both work long hours and don't get to spend much time with her so they try to make up for it by buying really extravagant presents.
Do you all think that that's okay because they can afford it?

Now, you see I totally believed it was a gnome what lived in da city

fircone - my dad found that in a charity shop a few years back and bought it for all his grandchildren to play when we went on holiday together. You are right, it was pants...but it took 2 weeks for the DCs to realise that!! Until then we had to play it every day....

You know when people say that the best present they ever got were the ones lovingly hand crafted for them by a family member as it meant so much more etc? I clearly remember the year my grandfather had a go at woodwork and made me a rocking horse that looked more like a sick dolphin. I got on it, started rocking, the thing flipped straight over and i landed on my head.

I always craved the plastic tat after that.

Walsall - I know you weren't meaning to sound rude. But, for £50 I have managed to get DS (10 months):

Giant bag of Megablocks (Asda £10)
Wooden puzzle (Asda £2)
Xylophone piano (ELC £12)
Wellies (£2.50 Asda)
Tube of milky buttons (£1 Asda)
Electronic nursery rhyme book (£10 ToysRUs)
2 Books (£8 combined The Works)
Foam bath letters (£3 tub Tesco)

It has filled a large stocking and to me it is MORE than enough. Shopping can be cheap if you are prepared to shop around.

By MaryBleedinPoppins on Wed 05-Dec-07 14:11:34
JeremyMcVile - your post surely wins the Most Patronising Post of the Week Award.

Really??

Patronising to who?