The mix feelings of giving

Have you ever bought an expensive toy for a kid, and all that he finds facinating was the box. And he spends hours playing with the box, totally negleting and unappreciative of the contents?

Well, yea that feeling sux. You feel that all your effort, where you spend hours looking for the perfect toy to make him happy, has gone down the drain. It's worse than a slap in the face or punch in the guts. It's like your heart breaking into a thousand pieces. You feel that you have let him down by not being able to make him happy with the gift (because the whole intention of buying the gift was to make him happy).

And when you think THAT is the worse feeling, try finding out that the kid actually thinks that someone elses' gifts are better. Yes, that's like rubbing H2SO4* (acid) into an open wound. Yea, sux even further. It's like those thousand pieces from your broken heart falling into an abyss that's so deep that it's deeper than Mariana Trench**. Yea, it's so deep that even as I type, the pieces are still falling. Nope, it hasn't reached the bottom yet...

Well, kids don't intentionally wanna hurt your feelings, but from their excited feeling when they receive other gifts or by showing off the gifts of others or when he's genuinely happy with playing with other gifts, you know that they prefer other gifts than yours... And that feeling sux...big time...

And that is why.... today, I am rather happy, to see little b so happy..... mainly because I made him so happy.. hahaha

I received a green cap (similiar to that of Ben 10) in the mail from a contest, and I gave it to him. He was estactic, as it made him look like his current favourite superhero Ben Tennyson. And then in the car, I surprised him further with another present, a Ben 10 comic book. His eyes GLEAMED with excitedment as he opened the present. He whispered, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.... I think it's a Ben 10 book." And it was... And he can't wait to open the plastic cover and kept repeating while I was driving, "Mom, can you help me open the plastic, please?"

And then he realised that it's the schoold holidays and exclaimed, "Oh, what a pity that I don't have school tomorrow. Otherwise I can show it to my friends." (All his friends are fans of Ben 10 and have Ben 10 books of their own. This is little b FIRST Ben 10 book.).

Kinda makes me feel proud that he's so happy with his present that he wanted to show it off to his friends. And then he even make a logical comment and say, "Oh, it's ok. I can read it first, and then show them in January! There's school again in January, right Mom? "

He's still new to the concept of time, days, months, and year. So I find it a BIG DEAL that he could say such logical words. I couldn't help but give him a big hug and a big kiss and praised him profusely.

Upon reaching home, he burst into a chant... (almost a song), "Yeah yeah, I've got a cap ....and I've got a Ben 10 book..." And ran to show off to his grandmother while gigling with glee...

Haha, I die a happy Mom tonight...

p/s In the excitement of fussing over his new pressies, he left his favourite Ninja turtle in the car (which he takes to bed every night). And when he willingly accepts the Ben 10 book as a substitute bedtime pacifier, I know I have bought the PERFECT gift.. :)

* Sulfuric Acid

**the deepest point in the world, located in the Pacific ocean.

*** End note: The author is not preaching that it's good for kids to show off, nor condoning arrogance. The author merely uses the "show off scenario" as an example on how to gauge whether a kid is happy with your gift.