UNITED STATES—So many people say the cost of kids can really put a strain on your wallet. I’m starting to understand that more and more, as I’m spending more time with my nieces and nephews. For starters, telling a kid ‘no, you can’t have something’ is easier said than done. The biggest thing I’ve come to realize is that it is so much harder to tell a kid ‘no’ and not give in. When they put on that sad face and those tears, it gets me every time.
My nieces and nephews are always asking for something, and I tell myself so much that I’m not going to give in, but guess what, I immediately give in. I remember growing up as a kid and my parents immediately making sure it was crystal clear to us, you’re NOT GETTING A SINGLE THING IN THIS STORE. Do not ask, do not look, do not touch a thing. Kids these days, that means nothing to them. They want things and they are always going to have that notion until they get older.
I went to an establishment recently to purchase home goods, and guess what, at the checkout lanes you see candy and gadgets that are to tempt parents with kiddos. Why are toys even near the checkout lane? I think that is the stupidest thing in the world, not to mention, the candy thing. It was just Halloween and my nieces and nephews got a ton of candy, yet they go into an establishment with candy and they want more. I could NOT wrap my mind around it, even though I did everything in my power to try to make sense of it and I still couldn’t.
You know the realization that hit me, kids will be kids and will want just because they can want. A three-to-four-hour outing cost me over $100 bucks and that is not including food. It feels like money just goes as fast as you earn it, which drives me bonkers and frustrates me to the core at times. I have come up with a solution to this problem, you don’t take kids.
If you have to go to the grocery store, find a way to leave the kids at home, if you have to run a few errands, ensure you leave the kids at home. You don’t take the kids if you don’t have too. Why? 1) It is going to cause a dent in the wallet 2) They are going to ask for things 3) Sometimes kids will be kids meaning unruly or annoying behavior.
Kids cry and when kids don’t get their way, they will throw a fit or attitude quicker than you can count to one. Yeah, I know that may sound a bit harsh, but it’s the truth. Anyone who has been in the presence of children for a significant period of time you understand their behavior. My one niece knows she has me wrapped around her finger. She never wants to walk anywhere, she always wants to be picked up and me being the idiot that I am I pick her up so I don’t have to hear her whine or throw a fit if you don’t pick her up. I know in her head she’s giggling saying, “Oh, he’ll do whatever I want, and I’ll always get what I want with my uncle.”
My other niece, she has an expensive taste and always goes for the most expensive item whenever it’s possible. There are cuts-offs for me, but she is a negotiator to the core. You say one thing and she finds a way to turn it into two or three things, even though we already debated for 30 minutes that one thing was the option. The problem is the adults that we are weak, we are pushovers, and we allow the kids to get the edge. We are the adults; we should put our feet down and just stick to our guns and not allow the kids to manipulate us the way that they do.
Written By Jason Jones
