On Life... Judgement

Lately, it seems people have been so judgmental and catty. People that I have known for years have come forward and said I dress my boys too richy. It's a sin to buy a child too many toys. Why do we go on such extravagant vacations?

So, here is the scoop. Here is a look at why we do the things we do.

First: I enjoy dressing my boys well. Why try to hide that? I enjoy watching people turn to look at them. I like it when people remember them from past visits to different locations. Who wouldn't? It's a pride thing. Not that they wouldn't be noticed if they wore sweats and tee shirts... but I think it says something of the parents when a child is clean, happy, and in a decent, well-kept, and clean outfit.  It shows I take pride in my children and make an effort at their appearance.

Second: Do they have a lot of toys? Yes. Do you ever wonder why? Here's the scoop. Both of these little rascals are super freaking intelligent. Shockingly intelligent. They need a LOT of distraction in order to keep their curiosity quelled. If they have even a few moments to let their curiosity get the best of them, they cause copious amounts of trouble. Therefore, we get things that challenge their imagination. They love trains, cars, and airplanes. They love building things. They love art. So they have loads of these types of toys.

There are also several things that challenge their intellect. Vocabulary builders, games that teach them basic skills such as alphabet, reading, writing, and basic math. Why not help them learn things early? Is there any harm in that? Not really, so we teach them. We spend time on skills that are useful instead of letting them learn useless information.

Third: Your boys are spoiled. Are they? Perhaps a titch. Why lie about it? I had to go through an awful lot to bring them into the world... and I think they deserve treats within reason. They don't even want standard things like toys and candy... they want things like fruits and goldfish crackers. Hamsters, Hot Wheels, Chuggington trains, Airplanes, movies, and Lego blocks. So... we have a LOT of Duplo blocks and a variety of toy vehicles... but it's all in the name of helping them develop healthy imaginations. So I let them have a free cookie at Target - it's not like it harms them.

Fourth: Vacations. We enjoy taking our boys on vacations that feed their need for adventure. We take them on cruises to get "more bang for our buck" - where else can they see their favorite Disney characters for a week while visiting several different nations and getting to experience so many cultural differences in a week? We love exposing them to different areas of the world, to show them that they have it pretty good here at home.

I love it when people try to criticize my choices. Why not do everything I can to give them the best I can? I work... my husband works. We can afford it.

I chose to be a working mom, not out of desire, but out of necessity. My yearly earnings negated the logic behind staying at home. It is a decision I have struggled with since I had our first son 3.5 years ago. But it is a decision I wouldn't change at this point in my life.

We are raising our kiddos to the best of our abilities. We are trying to impart on them skills they will need later in life. We are also taking care to ensure they won't grow up with unreasonable expectations and feeling a sense of entitlement and privilege.

In short... we are doing our best to be great parents. Please do your best to avoid judging us.