Monday, March 4, 2013

At the fair




We thought that an evening at the old fashioned Marco Island fair would make for a perfect evening, but it turned out the prices were all but old fashioned and it was quite frustrating for the girls to pick only 2 rides while most other kids were riding with bracelets and kept going on and on... It's really hard for our girls to grasp the idea of work = money. They don't want us to work too much because it is time when we are not available to be with them, but they obviously have many desires... and when we explain to them that if we have less needs/desires, we can work less, well, they're obviously not there yet...

So here I am standing in the middle of the fair and we just had an amazing day with my Mom and Paul in Naples, we bought organic ice cream and vegan candies at Adelheidi's Organic Sweets, had a delicious dinner at Rosedale Brick oven and just spent $40 in tickets at the fair (quite an expensive day for us!) and Mathilde is having a fit because she wants to try the darts game (it's a tiny fair, so there is only the air rifle or the darts, neither of which she ever tried and it's $5 each). The thing is, in our house, everything comes in 3, so one try means $15 so each girl can play... and she goes on an on about how other families have money to play and have bracelets and we *never* have money... and I feel sad and frustrated... 

Most times, I am quite understanding of my girls desire to have it all. Don't we all have that desire deep down... Most of us never outgrow it, it just takes a different shape than a fair ginormous purple teddy bear... But sometimes, just sometimes, I think...

A little volunteering in a third world country maybe?
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7 comments:

  1. I.March 5, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    Theophane ici m'a sorti: ets-ce qu'on est pauvres? parce qu'en suisse tout le monde a de grosses voitures flambant et nous une volvo wagon d'occas. Alors on a parle de ce sur quoi on choisit de depenser des sous, travailler moins etc..petit a petit..en attendant il a de gros desirs et alors je pense fort a sandra dodd qui disait de ne pas faire l'economie du Veux/veux pas qd on assert un choix. (vs je ne peux pas, c pas possible).
    je t'embrasse!

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  2. CatherineMarch 5, 2013 at 8:19 PM

    Intéressant, Isa! Est-ce qu'on est pauvre? On aimerait tellement pouvoir entrer dans leur tête parfois!

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  3. FrancescaMarch 8, 2013 at 3:55 PM

    You know that if you give them that ride, they'll want another - it's just the nature of any human beings. And yet, you can't live with just the wanting, and not the satisfaction. It's a difficult situation when you're a child, and the world around you seems to play by different rules. As with anything in life, it comes down to balance: you explain over and over why they can't have endless rides (which isn't what they want to know there and then), but do allow them to have some rides, and encourage them to feel grateful (all the while knowing that all they want is more rides, but the concept will, eventually and hopefully, sink in).

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  4. CatherineMarch 8, 2013 at 5:33 PM

    Thanks so much for such wise advise, Francesca... I think this is what I did that night (but probably not as gracefully as that...). This is my aim at least... And I sure hope it will sink in one day...

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  5. Stéphanie DionMarch 9, 2013 at 8:53 PM

    Je peux te dire, que nous avons beaucoup de choses, mais pas ce que vous avez. Un jour elles comprendront... Lâche-pas Catherine.

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  6. CatherineMarch 9, 2013 at 9:02 PM

    Merci, Stéphanie! J'ai besoin de l'entendre! Encore une journée comme ça à Key West aujourd'hui!

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  7. Stéphanie DionMarch 10, 2013 at 1:51 PM

    Nous rappelons souvent à Antoine (qui est trop gâté) qu'il faut faire des choix dans la vie. Et que chaque choix a des conséquences et implications. Plus facile à dire qu'à faire... Je suis bien d'accord. Mais il doit se responsabiliser... Et nous devons tenir notre bout Ed et moi.. Bonne journée. Xxxx

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