Why My Son Lost Christmas this Year

My son has lost Christmas this year. Yes. You read me right. My son isn’t getting to celebrate Christmas. Before you get angry, take a moment to find out why. My son is very ungrateful. I have been using GameStop’s layaway program and scrimping and saving for an expensive present for him. $300 dollars worth. Something that I normally wouldn’t have been able to afford. I love my son dearly, and I want to see him happy. He has ADHD. What most people don’t realize about ADHD children is that electronics make them happy. They thrive on electronics. Everything electronics. His whole world revolves on electronics. I moderate his electronic time. Most of the time he does amazing. His behavior is very well managed when he is able to earn electronic time. He wanted a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. I knew that would make him very happy. I was buying it for him.

Today his school was having a little present program. You send your child in with a little bit of money and they are able to buy a little present for you or for themselves. My son never thinks about anyone else. He wanted to buy things for himself. He begged for money. Every extra penny I had had gone into his Christmas present. I tried to explain to him that I didn’t have any money. The whining started. He wanted money to buy stuff at school. I tried again to explain that I didn’t have any extra money for him. The fit grew louder. Other parents looked at me understandably. This was a special needs school. They also had children like mine. They seemed grateful that it wasn’t their children that morning. My son told me he saw quarters in my van. He was right. I had quarters in my van. Those were for vacuuming my van whenever he threw a fit and threw food on my floor. I hate having food and crumbs on my floor so I keep quarters in my van so I can vacuum it as needed. This morning I was done fighting. With tears in my eyes I lead my son back out my to van and gave him 3 quarters. I lead him back into school and kissed him goodbye.

Throughout the day I began to think, my son is ungrateful. I don’t want to raise a child who is never grateful for anything. I don’t want a spoiled little brat. I don’t want that. My child needs to learn how to be grateful for what he has. I had an amazing conversation with my sister. She helped me to realize some things. I am grateful for that. She helped me to see some things from another point of view. My son doesn’t deserve a Switch. He doesn’t deserve such an expensive gift. He needs to learn to appreciate what he has and not expect more. This year he doesn’t get to celebrate Christmas. This year he will get some pajamas for Christmas and if he is lucky I may get him a small toy, but this year, he is spending his Christmas money on another child who isn’t as lucky as he is. This year we will find a child in need and we will be picking out a Christmas present and we will be giving someone else a present. This year my son will finally get to see just how lucky he has been. This year he will finally see that Christmas isn’t about getting gifts.