My kids come to the US and they turn into little consumers. "I want this" and "I want that." It's hilarious at first and horrendous by the end.
And it's all my fault, to say the least. As an expat living in Rio de Janeiro, a panic floods goes over me the moment I enter into a store such as target. Where to go! What to buy! How to pack it all up!
So much stuff and for so few dollars. I don't even know which section to start in. Brazilians fly up to go to Disneyland and outlet shops. I come home to go to Target and the grocery store.
Of course there are the practical purchases such as electronics and baby gear. Those items are worth triple their value in Brazil. Then there's the stupid stuff.
I bought pans, non stick, KitchenAid pans and ziplock bags. Then there are the cloth fold down kid toy boxes for storage. I also purchased cotton granny panties for those special granny pantie days (my ass could never fit the Brazilian version of the granny pantie). Jeans, socks, skincare, and toys are some of the many items we'll be lugging home.
Thank goodness for Christmas, sales, and a 70lb luggage limit when you buy your tickets originating in Brazil.
Toys are a big kicker. I have two boys and they aren't babies anymore. They get hardly anything all year. And that's because toys are EXPENSIVE! So much so that one day I may tell my children to use... gasp... their imagination.
So when they show me this very cool toy and ask if it's too much money, I have a hard time saying it is. FYI, my typical Brazilian store response is that it costs too much to buy and No.
Here it's honestly hard to say that. It's like last stop shopping. Who knows when we'll be back and there's no way in toy store hell that I'm buying these kinds of toys in Brazil.
Thus, I compulsively let them put their choices into the cart. Once it's there, it stays. Taking it out because sense kicks in makes me feel like a dick tease only with children and toys. Better yet, a toy tease.
Wishy washy does not a good parent make. So I sucked it up and let them walk out with, once again, a new toy each. Under $20 and smaller than the one they originally asked for, like it makes a difference.
Oh well, all the noes in Rio de Janeiro should wash off all the spoiled of the US.
Honestly, it's kind of nice to be able to spoil the little guys every once in a while. Goodness knows their Father and I are spoiling ourselves!
