How Do You Say NO?

M had his heart set on a new T.V.....the 42" HDTV kind!  At some point during the year, I commented "wouldn't it be nice if we could get the kids to agree to getting a new T.V. instead of a bunch of individual gifts?"

IT WAS ONLY A COMMENT and me wishing and hoping OUT LOUD.

(Why is it that M never listens or complies to much of anything I say or do except for me wishing and hoping out loud?  Oh, yeah....he listens when it's something he wants or agrees with.)

When we were discussing Christmas a month or so ago and I had asked the kids for their lists, M told me he thought that we were going to just get a new T.V. for Christmas?!  So, I ended up being the bad guy when I put the kabash on his plans.  The kids wouldn't really stand for just gettting a family T.V. for Christmas and I wasn't going to make them.

M had a good Christmas this year....i.e. he got a good bonus and we got money from his parents, etc. so he was able to PROVIDE for the family Christmas.

Now, remember I have no say in things REALLY.  It's why I've given up being the one that actually shops for Christmas and b'days.  (Yes, I could budget and save so I could do a better job but I'm the one who has her paycheck spent on necessities and frivolities a week after payday.)

My way of manipulating how much gets spent is by warning the kids ahead of time about being conservative in their desires.

The kids were pretty good except for the afore mentioned baby doll that was $$$ and Z's desire to have an Xbox (a very tricky situation because it you get one and GIVE IT TO HIM he thinks it's his ONLY and refuses to SHARE without a FIGHT------even if it was the ONLY thing he wanted we didn't think it was a good idea to just give it to him.)

I'm not a total GRINCH.....  I do ENJOY seeing the kids get their hearts' desires.

(I even ended up with some cash from M to help with my bills, but I've still got people hunting me down and have had to make some pretty awful payment arrangements that will weigh me in 2011 and make me feel like I've made deals with some lone sharks.)

M had all but given up on his T.V.  He got the Xbox as the family gift.  C got her money to shop for herself as requested because once she hit 13 we were no longer able to be trusted to buy anything for her in way of gifts.  A is in Lego Heaven.  S is a new mom of an overpriced baby doll and crib.  Z and (M and C to play , too) got a couple of awful video games--you know, the really awful ones RATED M FOR MATURE.

Sunday morning arrived and M jumped at the chance to play some of the games on our ridiculously outdated T.V.  He got to experience first hand just how poorly suited the T.V. was to really experiencing the games as if he didn't believe the kids' review.  Tiny picture and "OMG, that print is too small to read.  How am I supposed to know which button allows me shoot 50 plus rounds into that Nazi zombie bastard?"

Off to the store he went with all the kids who needed to spend the g-ma, g-pa, and aunt money they's received.  He is a saint because I refuse to do this CHORE.  There is no talking the kids into waiting because they never believe that there won't anything good to buy with everything picked over after the Christmas rush except for marked down Christmas paper, decorations, and the toys nobody wanted in the first place.

What should he bring home?

Yes....a 42" HD T.V.

This is the story I got.  He talked the kids into using some of their money to buy the Keurig coffee maker he has been lusting after.  He made a deal with them.  If they would buy him the coffee maker, then he would buy the T.V.

I'm not lying!  What kind of strange logic is this?!  Is this what really happened or is the story they're feeding me?  They are united so I will probably never really know....

I'm not saying that I'm not enjoying the new T.V.  (I can't wait to watch the Twilight movies on it.  I really enjoyed watching Despicable Me last night.)

I'm just feeling very irresponsible right now.  I know we're sending the wrong message.

M is very proud that he didn't use any credit cards for Christmas this year.  There is THAT, I suppose.