gluttony [ˈglʌtənɪ]: n.  derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste.

My son came home from his “fall” party last week with armloads. Of candy, frosted donuts, pencils, bubbles, spider rings, bead bracelets, glow in the dark paraphernalia and some sweet parents and grandparents had made some of the cutest buckets and goodie bags and Halloween crafts you have ever seen, probably spending hours on them. And he tossed them aside like they were yesterday’s graded worksheets.

It gave me a little pit in my stomach.

My daughter’s mirror broke this weekend when it fell off the back of the door. (7 years bad luck??) She just kind of shrugged and said, “you only paid a dollar for it at a yard sale, right?”

gulp.

Another daughter left her coat at school. My husband told her she needed to remember to bring it home or she would have to use her money to pay for a new one. She didn’t see why that was necessary because Grandma gave it to her for her birthday….we didn’t pay for it. Besides she had another one she could use…

mom headache.

I think of my Grandpa. How he tells us about Christmas’ during the Great Depression. How he got an 8 pack of crayons and a tablet of paper and spent all day coloring and was happy as a lark. My Grandma that saves every ziploc bag and container and washes them out and re-uses them again and again.

What they must think of kids today..

You know I love thrifting and deals and upcycling, but 10 cent boxes of crayons and coats for $1 at yard sales have come back to bite in this regard. We take full credit for what we teach our children and I know it begins with us…my husband and I have talked and want to change some things around here, especially with the holidays coming up. What should be the simple, most thankful, most worshipful time of the year sometimes turns out to be the most gluttonous.

but I would love to hear from you..can I ask you a few questions?

What are some successes you’ve had with teaching your kids about the value of a dollar?

With the holidays..do you do the 3 gifts? Or how do you keep things as simple as possible?

What about gifts from aunts/uncles/cousins/grandmas/grandpas/etc, etc.??

Do your kids pay for their own clothes?

Do you serve others together as a family?

Any other thoughts?

Thank you…