A mum has taken to the internet to reassure other mums and dads in her position this Christmas that they shouldn’t feel bad.
She admitted that she doesn’t plan on getting her kids much for Christmas and said she’s tired of always wondering if she is doing enough.
Speaking about their financial situation, the mum-of-two said they are not rich but are by no means stuck for money – she just thinks Christmas is wasteful and puts a lot of pressure on mums and dads.
Taking to Reddit, she wrote: “I’m so tired of wondering if what I’m doing is enough… They’re 1m and 3f.
“I literally went to the dollar store and got my 3 year old crayons, markers, colouring books, coloured paper, beads and other craft supplies. I found a Coomelon book there too. It’s quite a bit of craft supplies … Oh and some paints, mini wooden birdhouses and things like this.
“For my son I got him some little cars from Amazon because he’s obsessed and a duck plushie, and a book. They both got two outfits and a pair of slippers each.
“That’s it, that’s all. I might’ve spent 100 on the both of them.”
She went on to say that they are babies and don’t even understand the gifts they are being given but that she thinks her family will judge her.
“I can already hear my parents giving me shit over this and I want to do things differently.
“We’re not rich but not hurting for money and I could get them nicer things but like…. They’re babies. They don’t care and my son likes the empty diaper boxes anyways.
“I hate my anxiety going out of control like this and constantly wondering if I’m doing enough but my other side is knowing it’s totally fine and enough for them… The traditions we do and time spent is much, much, much more important than gifts.”
Lots of parents jumped into the comment section to voice their opinion on the matter, and one mum wrote: “I make 6 figures and spent maybe 70 bucks total for both of my little ones.
“At 1mo and 3y the kiddos straight up will not care. With my oldest we went all out every year only to realize that he would only play with a fraction of the toys and preferred the cardboard boxes. This time we just went with more versatile toys.”
Another said: “At that age, they are happy just to have presents! When my son was little, I did the same thing.
“When he got a bit older, Dollar Tree was his favorite place to spend his birthday money.
“Christmas isn’t supposed to have a specific price tag attached to it. It’s about being together, having fun opening gifts, watching movies, making gingerbread houses or decorating cookies or ornaments.”
A third added: “At age 1, my kid was more interested in the box than the present. When he was 2, he stopped opening after the first present because all he wanted to do was play with the toy cars.
“By 3 he managed to stay interested long enough to open presents, but we mostly gave him more toy cars because that’s what he liked. We never went nuts for his presents on Christmas. (That was what my parents and siblings did).”
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