A bit more about Christmas. I have two boys that are soon to be teenagers. The big thing this year is the GameBoy DS which they both wanted, but neither asked for. This may be due to my wife and I telling them very early on that the DS would be in short supply and the prices would be high; it would be near impossible for them to get a DS for Christmas. They accepted this and found other things to ask for, which really pleased me.
My wife and I never stopped looking. Every time we were out, we asked for the DS. Every time we asked, the answer was no. Last Friday, my wife was out and overheard a ruckus in the electronics section of a store she frequents. There was a lady screaming at one of the workers about how she promised her kid, who was standing there watching with tears in his eyes, a GameBoy DS. The worker was very apologetic but said they were out and there was nothing he could do about it. She left in a fury, dragging her crying son behind her. My wife walked over to the worker and asked if she had heard right, that they were out. The gentleman replied they were as if he had been asked all day long, because he had been. My wife thanked him and then asked if he expected another shipment before Christmas. The guy looked around and then whispered to my wife, "We are getting some in tonight, you should be here as early as you can tomorrow morning."
My wife was 5th in line the next morning at 7am. She waited in line for an hour for the store to open. During that hour the people in line chatted, the guy in front needed three, there was a limit of two. The lady in front of my wife needed one, so she offered to buy one for the guy. He had three boys all roughly the same age. My wife got the last two GameBoys. There were only 10 that morning.
I am impressed by the kindness that occured throughout those two days. The worker didn't have to tell my wife anything. The lady didn't have to buy that guy his third GameBoy. And my wife didn't have to get out of bed at 6am on a Saturday morning for our sons. I try to teach my kids that they should always be polite. I impress upon them that it is better to be kind, than to be rude. I am glad to see that other parents are teaching or have taught their children the same.
Presents were opened at 9am. My wife made the kids trek all over the house looking for clues she had written on pieces of paper. I think she made them go up and down the stairs 5 times. They had a blast. And they were all very happy with their presents. They are all playing their new GameBoy DS in their room and in the living room. Like I said earlier, I won't see them for a week :)
Posted by carl at December 25, 2004 03:53 PM
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