and on the other hand....

there are those children that are over the top gift givers. it's like an endless gift bag, just keep putting your hand in and every time you bring it out it's full of some fun item. not cheap crap mind you, but good stuff: twistable crayons, high quality wooden logic toys, national geographic activities, etc. this same child often adds a gift card for $10 or $15 as well. and i do mean child. these gifts are all child driven. the child in i speak of is an indulged only child. i appreciate that she values my child's friendship but i almost feel dirty letting my child open these gifts; like she's being bought off.

i know. i know. can't win for losing with me.

it's the big 8 for my oldest today. wasn't it just yesterday that she was refusing anything but my b**b? screaming when anyone, and i mean ANYONE, but mommy or daddy picked her up or held her? sigh, i can not believe how fast it's going.

on a different note, i am going to complain about birthday gifts for kids. let me say first that i am not materialistic. i do not expect anyone to spend a bunch of cash on my little ankle biters; i, in fact, rarely spend more than $10 on a gift for birthday parties - always books and/or art stuff.

what i do not understand is when 2 children from the same family are invited to a birthday party and they come bearing a singular gift (worth $10 - i'm telling you the cost for comparison only). yes, i realize times are tough (although this family is truly not hurting) but really, you can't go to half price books and get 2 books for less than $10? or joann's and get a crafty item for 3.99 each (without a coupon)? the capper is when one of those same children sees a ($15) gift from some one else and says 'oh yeah, i got that for my friend's birthday tomorrow'.

and while i'm ranting about birthday gifts, if you are invited to a birthday party of twins, please, please, please bring EACH child a gift. again, it doesn't have to be something expensive and frankly i'd rather it not be. we all know that these things are for the most part played with for a week or so and then broken, lost, or interest simply wanes.

there is always someone who brings ONE gift to be shared between my twins; and no, it's not a game or something they can play with together. hello. they may have come from 1 egg but they are individuals with 2 minds, 2 likes, 2 dislikes. please acknowledge each child.

yes, even if all 3 of mine are invited to the same party, they each take a gift that they picked from the 'closet' (yes, i'm one of those; i buy a variety of things all year and store them in one place so the kids can 'shop' as needed - you know you get those last minute invitations too; but that's another rant. in fact, one year, i had such a good find that i bought like 10 of the same thing, and every girl). if we, the parents, are invited also, we take something too. i learned, as have my children, that it's good manners for each guest to come bearing gifts.

is it just me? discuss.