"Mommy I need a new toy!" Mommy would reply "No!", "we don't have the money for it!" This went on for a good ten minutes. Finally, mommy much frustrated and looking ready to blow stomped out of the store, little girl walking on her tippy toes as mommy dragged her along. Oops, she was gonna get it...
What I should have done is told mommy to go fly a kite!
Yup ! I mean that literally!
When I was little, we did not have money for Barbies and Barbie Dream Cottages, like my friends. So what! I made mine out of boxes after my mom showed me how. And to tell you the truth mine was better because I could add on as I wanted. I had Barbie mansion! Except I had Maddie Maud (Barbies cheaper cousin) again so what, she had brown hair like me!
But my point , if you missed it in my little story, is my mom taught me how to create my own toys. When we had no money to buy presents for grandparents, she didn't say lets go to the store and buy something on credit, or sit there and cry and boo hoo about it. She said lets see what we can make hmm... She would pull out glue, yarn, old wallpaper, rick rack and glitter and talk about grandpa and how special this would be for him, next thing you knew you had created a special pencil holder for grandpa, that he kept lovingly on his desk forever... Sisters birthday coming up. How about you learn to crochet and make a blankie for her baby doll, this way you made something and learned a talent that would aid you in your future. Nothing to do while we waited for dad at the doctors office. We could make a game with a piece of paper by making dots on it and taking turns connecting the dots till you finished a box. Whoever had the most boxes when we were done won. It was great!
But I knew when we went to the store, it was not to buy toys for me or my brother and sisters. They knew it too. Because mom had always made it clear. We had what we needed at home.
So when I had my kids, I followed her example. Yes we had some bought toys, like Barbie, but they were gifts, We could make toys and presents just by using our creativity and time. And we did! Hot wheels cardboard cities, Barbie shelf houses, picture quilts for grandma and auntie. The artwork on my living room walls were pictures they did in art class and brought home, showed off gloriously in old frames, changed out every month. Loved them! And yes, to get back to them kites!
Yup, Plastic grocery bag kites!
Buy some kite string for $1.00 or if you have some hanging around, all the better. Cut a piece the length of your arm, fold it in half and tie a knot about two to three inches down from the fold. Tie each loose end of that folded string to one bag handle. decorate your bag with streamers or colored yarn and package tape. now tie remaining kite string to loop you made in the string with the knot. Make sure that knot is tight.
Now take it outside and watch how great it will fly!
But more than that, you have just showed your kids how to soar!
Why buy it, when you can create it!
I remember so many of these things. I remember the dot game at the doctors office, that was so much fun!!
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