When did this start?

[cosmo]

Sorry to rain on everyones parade and feel free to flame me for this but if your looking to place blame for our success what comes to my mind is...We The People.
So WE aren't spoiled? Did our grandparents have central heat/air conditioning (home and cars), refrigerator's the size of Rhode Island (fully stocked), 2 or 3 cars in an attached garage and a motorcycle capable of 186 mph (that we never use for that purpose of course)........the list goes on.
We The People are the most fortunate humans to ever inhabit this planet. Our kids expect more because quite frankly they learned it from us.

Hope this doesn't rub ya the wrong way....just trying to illustrate the view from another angle  

 

[MOKE89]

I just remembered our little boy is invited to a pool party tomorrow evening.We'll see how this one is.Maybe to show our protest we won't even take him anything

 

[WWJD]

good ol capitalism: lets make money EXTENDING everything from diet fads to kids partys. screw the world's sick and twisted view of what's right, and just do it your way. you'll be able to sleep easier at night knowing you did the right thing in the face of those who don't bother to think about it

the only thing kids should get for attending a borthday party is cake and a good time

 

[Punisher]

My opinion is:
If other parents want to spend money to give my kid something other cake and ice cream for coming over and spending their time with their little friend on that person's birthday, that's fine. But that's what friends do, you don't have to bride them to come over. Maybe that's who started the whole thing. The kids that nobody liked, their parents had to bride the other kids to come over. Ya think?

 

[VaBusa]

(cosmo @ Jul. 09 2007,11:54) Sorry to rain on everyones parade and feel free to flame me for this but if your looking to place blame for our success what comes to my mind is...We The People.
So WE aren't spoiled? Did our grandparents have central heat/air conditioning (home and cars), refrigerator's the size of Rhode Island (fully stocked), 2 or 3 cars in an attached garage and a motorcycle capable of 186 mph (that we never use for that purpose of course)........the list goes on.
We The People are the most fortunate humans to ever inhabit this planet. Our kids expect more because quite frankly they learned it from us.

Hope this doesn't rub ya the wrong way....just trying to illustrate the view from another angle  

I didn't grow up that way...I like to think I grew up appreciating what I did have and when my parents could afford more, it didn't mean the kids got everything they wanted. It meant the house was paid off early or we got new clothes...

Do you have kids? Just curious...

 

[VaBusa]

(MOKE89 @ Jul. 09 2007,11:55) I just remembered our little boy is invited to a pool party tomorrow evening.We'll see how this one is.Maybe to show our protest we won't even take him anything

I always take a gift, even if the parents say not to...and despite me telling them to not bring anything for my kids, they always do...it's a birthday party for that child, so that's good for them...

Take photos of the gift bags for those that don't know about 'em LOL I was just telling a coworker with a one year old and she had no idea this was a trend...she's clueless, so I laughed and told her "just wait!"

 

[cosmo]

(VaBusa @ Jul. 09 2007,09:08)

(cosmo @ Jul. 09 2007,11:54) Sorry to rain on everyones parade and feel free to flame me for this but if your looking to place blame for our success what comes to my mind is...We The People.
So WE aren't spoiled? Did our grandparents have central heat/air conditioning (home and cars), refrigerator's the size of Rhode Island (fully stocked), 2 or 3 cars in an attached garage and a motorcycle capable of 186 mph (that we never use for that purpose of course)........the list goes on.
We The People are the most fortunate humans to ever inhabit this planet. Our kids expect more because quite frankly they learned it from us.

Hope this doesn't rub ya the wrong way....just trying to illustrate the view from another angle  

I didn't grow up that way...I like to think I grew up appreciating what I did have and when my parents could afford more, it didn't mean the kids got everything they wanted.  It meant the house was paid off early or we got new clothes...

Do you have kids?  Just curious...

Please understand...We The People...doesn't mean YOU in particular. Its not personal  

.

As a nation we have become spoiled beyond all reasonable expectations of previous generations. Our kids can feel this and.....expect it. Why shouldn't they? WE indulge ourselves don't we? I know I sure as hell do (see my bike collection?)  All I'm saying is we should expect a little over indulgence once in a while .

As for my family...we raised 2 who's biological parents (our relatives  

) were too self absorbed to get the job done, and I'm grateful for having had the experience. They're both  in country preserving our way of life as I write this post. One comes home in 3 weeks......fingers crossed. The other would be SOOOO pissed if she knew I even mentioned it so.......eat this message after you read it  

.

BTW: Neither one of them (or me) would give the little buggers a bribe to come to a birthday party either. Fill em full of sugar and send them home to momma.  

 

[VaBusa]

(cosmo @ Jul. 09 2007,12:40)

(VaBusa @ Jul. 09 2007,09:08)

(cosmo @ Jul. 09 2007,11:54) Sorry to rain on everyones parade and feel free to flame me for this but if your looking to place blame for our success what comes to my mind is...We The People.
So WE aren't spoiled? Did our grandparents have central heat/air conditioning (home and cars), refrigerator's the size of Rhode Island (fully stocked), 2 or 3 cars in an attached garage and a motorcycle capable of 186 mph (that we never use for that purpose of course)........the list goes on.
We The People are the most fortunate humans to ever inhabit this planet. Our kids expect more because quite frankly they learned it from us.

Hope this doesn't rub ya the wrong way....just trying to illustrate the view from another angle  

I didn't grow up that way...I like to think I grew up appreciating what I did have and when my parents could afford more, it didn't mean the kids got everything they wanted.  It meant the house was paid off early or we got new clothes...

Do you have kids?  Just curious...

Please understand...We The People...doesn't mean YOU in particular. Its not personal  

.

As a nation we have become spoiled beyond all reasonable expectations of previous generations. Our kids can feel this and.....expect it. Why shouldn't they? WE indulge ourselves don't we? I know I sure as hell do (see my bike collection?)  All I'm saying is we should expect a little over indulgence once in a while .

As for my family...we raised 2 who's biological parents (our relatives  

) were too self absorbed to get the job done, and I'm grateful for having had the experience. They're both  in country preserving our way of life as I write this post. One comes home in 3 weeks......fingers crossed. The other would be SOOOO pissed if she knew I even mentioned it so.......eat this message after you read it  

.

BTW: Neither one of them (or me) would give the little buggers a bribe to come to a birthday party either. Fill em fill of sugar and send them home to momma.  

I wasn't taking it personally, just addressing how I grew up...

And I agree, we as a society have become incredibly spoiled...never said that wasn't the case...I'm thankful for what I have and what I can afford, and I don't stew over the things I can't have because John up the street has it.

My issue is that now, instead of teaching kids to work hard for what they want, we GIVE them practically everything. It'll be a society of those that just expect everything to be handed to them, that don't know what disappointment is and it's stupid little things like trying to make all the kids feel warm and fuzzy with gifts at a birthday party that attribute to this trend. We've taken a special day for ONE child and turned it in to a special day for all the kids, when in fact, when I was growing up, just being invited to a party was the prize...

 

[cosmo]

The other children's behaviour is out of your direct sphere of influence to control. All I could advise is to do what you think is right.
Now get busy eating that last message or I'm in deep do-do

.

 

[BlkDrgnZ28]

Im 23 and i don't remember getting them so if i did get them at a party they obviosly werent anything that i remembered but i think it more for the parents one uping each other trying to say that im better than yours and its bs its about the b-day boy or girl not the parents my mom still does that for my littlest bro and its pretty stupid do you realy think that the kids "really" care about the crap that is usually in them ... stupidity although my lil bro came back with one where they handed out 10 dollar gift cards to best buy.... even dumber

 

[VaBusa]

(BlkDrgnZ28 @ Jul. 09 2007,13:10) Im 23 and i don't remember getting them so if i did get them at a party they obviosly werent anything that i remembered but i think it more for the parents one uping each other trying to say that im better than yours and its bs its about the b-day boy or girl not the parents my mom still does that for my littlest bro and its pretty stupid do you realy think that the kids "really" care about the crap that is usually in them ... stupidity although my lil bro came back with one where they handed out 10 dollar gift cards to best buy.... even dumber

You may be on to something there...hasn't considered it as a ploy to one-up your friends and their pathetic parties for their own kids

That's probably how it all started...

Gift cards to Best Buy

Good grief...

 

[shortBoarder]

It leads to this:

Last week in the Wall Street Journal:

Blame it on Mr. Rogers: Why Young Adults Feel So Entitled

I had someone working for me that fit into this generalization perfectly. Emphasis on "had".

 

[MOKE89]

The moral of this story : Only send you're children to rich kids' parties.

 

[heavybusa]

So you need condoms or floss?

 

[VaBusa]

(shortBoarder @ Jul. 09 2007,14:27) It leads to this:

Last week in the Wall Street Journal:

Blame it on Mr. Rogers: Why Young Adults Feel So Entitled

I had someone working for me that fit into this generalization perfectly.  Emphasis on "had".

Just sad...I now see why I favored Sesame Street over Mr. Rogers

At least I can count to 10 in Spanish now...

 

[VaBusa]

(MOKE89 @ Jul. 09 2007,14:45) The moral of this story : Only send you're  children to rich kids' parties.

I can hear it now..."Mom, I sure hope they're handing out the Escalades this year"