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sfzombie

my boy opened his presents early....now what?

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go out and buy one non expensive present to wrap up for Christmas day, as for the ones he opened well they don't get played with till Christmas day.



+1

Little johnny has has grown up and knows there's no santa clause. Smart kid. He's like most of the adults it's a commericals holiday its all about buying presents on sale.

The retailers belive in santa clause where would they be without "Black friday" . Back in the day we never heard the term or I forgot it.[:/]

In my house (no kids) every day is Xmas espically when we can buy on line.

R

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it wasn't so much the presents, but the breaking of trust and the thing that was going through his head was, "i can get away with it". nothing about the right or wrong in it. any ideas?



I'm not a parent, but I used to teach school and can say from experience that some kids have poor impulse control. His thought process might have been closer to I gotta see what's under the wraps as opposed to heh heh, I'm pulling a fast one on Mom and Dad. After all, it sounds like he didn't try to cover his tracks.

Also, I think the take-a-peek-at-the-presents scheme is more common than a lot of parents realize. ;)

If it were my kid I'd confiscate the goods until Christmas. (I'd probably remind him that receiving presents is what happens when kids are good, so if he wants them, he needs to choose to behave himself.)

Just my two cents.
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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I would be curious to the thought process and attitude that this was done with. There are some pretty serious issues that hang in the back ground of something like this. Was it done out of spite, with a they aren't going to do anything to me attitude? Did he really not see anything wrong and did not even consider the consequences? (this is the one that would bother me)

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Oh, I wouldn't be too hard on him. It's hard to see all those presents sitting under the tree and not open them. My daughter admits to unwrapping presents and rewraping them one year. She found out how anticlimactic Christmas was after that, and didn't do it again (or so I think!).

My suggestion is to give him a talk about controlling his impulses and about how every action having a consequence. His consequence is that he's not going to have anything to unwrap on Christmas as everyone else is experiencing it. I wouldn't even have them rewrapped; he has his presents, he's done. He could certainly stand a little punishment, like being the one to clean up all the wrapping mess afterwards, but I wouldn't hold the presents until March.

Sometimes you have to be a little soft on some issues so when something big comes along, a harsh punishment really makes an impact.

Edit to add: I think the Toys for Tots organization has already distributed the toys; at least they have in my area.
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Have him donate everything to toys to tots, explaining very clearly that his lack of respect for gifts and the people who gave him those gifts means that they should instead go to people who are more appreciative. He gets to watch everyone else open their stuff on Christmas, with his already gone and donated.

He's 8. Not getting gifts for one year will not be the end of the world. He will get the message loud and clear.


---------------------------------------------------------
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8 must be "that age". My son got up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve., opened all of his presents and then went back to bed! When we got up Christmas morning I could not believe what I saw. When I asked my son why he opened all of his presents his reply was "Well they had my name on them". Can't blame the boy for being a smart ass because it runs in the family, however I did get a legitimate opportunity to tan his hide later in the week.

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When I was growing up, presents started appearing early, and we always opened on Christmas Eve. So it wasn't really a surprise to find out that Santa didn't exist. But I'll admit I never opened all of the presents -- I might have peeked once or twice, but never opened.

Wendy P.



WHAT?!?!?B|>:(:(
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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you've hit the nail on the head, i seem to have had a lack of emapthy(?) until i hit about 19 or so, not quite to the point of being sociopathic, but not too far from it. i'm worried that he'll get worse if it's not corrected. but overreacting is no good either. it sucks being a parent sometimes, it's too easy to screw up, and he's really improving in so many other areas, i don't want to lose the progress we've made.
http://kitswv.com

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Nothing in the world can make a kid shake in his shoes like an angry look on a mother's face!



Now that my son is 20, he has the nerve to say, "don't you go giving me that face, Mama". The funny thing is, I don't even realize I'm doing it!
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Ask him which is his favorite present, take him and that present to the local firehouse (or charity) and have him personally hand it over.

Explain where his present is going (needy kids) and that he's doing a good thing for someone else (maybe even make him tell the charity why he has to give a gift up). Explain its not punishment, its about making the situation right by not being selfish. If he's a good sport about it and you can afford it, get him the same gift and put it under the tree.

He'll think about what he did for a few days (the bad deed), and have one gift to share opening with your family (for the good deed).

Maybe he'll see being bad has its consequences and his behavior/attitude needs to be corrected, and doing something good/the right thing is praised and rewarded.

Good luck! You'll laugh at this in 20 years (keep that in mind).

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Nothing in the world can make a kid shake in his shoes like an angry look on a mother's face!



Now that my son is 20, he has the nerve to say, "don't you go giving me that face, Mama". The funny thing is, I don't even realize I'm doing it!


It's a 'gift' only Mothers have. From the sounds of things... it's working! :D:D:D
I know what he's talking about. :D:D

Chuck

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My sister did that one year. (Opened them the day before actually.) My parents treated it as a sort of non-event; "OK, well, I guess you won't have anything to open tomorrow." Sister cried the entire day while we were opening presents. She never did it again.

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My sister did that one year. (Opened them the day before actually.) My parents treated it as a sort of non-event; "OK, well, I guess you won't have anything to open tomorrow." Sister cried the entire day while we were opening presents. She never did it again.



I think making him sit there and watch while everyone else is opening their presents is punishment enough. It's not like he was shoplifting or broke something he wasn't supposed to be messing with. Also, as others have suggested, can you determine his motive? Was it impulsive curiosity? Or was he trying to be defiant and sabotage things?
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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I would be curious to the thought process and attitude that this was done with. There are some pretty serious issues that hang in the back ground of something like this. Was it done out of spite, with a they aren't going to do anything to me attitude? Did he really not see anything wrong and did not even consider the consequences? (this is the one that would bother me)



Dude. The kid's 8 years old.

=======


July 25, 2037...

Judge: Mr. Zombie, before this court sentences you for 17 counts of murder, do you have anything you'd like to say?

KidZombie: Yes, Your Honor. Back When I was 8, I opened my Christmas presents a week early. And yet my parents left my disorder untreated...

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I would be curious to the thought process and attitude that this was done with. There are some pretty serious issues that hang in the back ground of something like this. Was it done out of spite, with a they aren't going to do anything to me attitude? Did he really not see anything wrong and did not even consider the consequences? (this is the one that would bother me)



Dude. The kid's 8 years old.

=======


July 25, 2037...

Judge: Mr. Zombie, before this court sentences you for 17 counts of murder, do you have anything you'd like to say?

KidZombie: Yes, Your Honor. Back When I was 8, I opened my Christmas presents a week early. And yet my parents left my disorder untreated...



Dude, kids are killing people now a days. The attitude starts somewhere.

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