Spoiled at Christmas?

The theme of Christmas this year in our household? "I didn't order this from Santa!" That sounds bad, but our son actually said it more like a question. He couldn't figure out why Santa brought him all these toys that weren't on his list.

Here's how we got to this point:
A friend of mine had this great tip for preventing kids from being spoiled at Christmas. Let your 4-year-old pick something he wants and something he needs. O.K. that sounded fine to me, but I don't see my son (the first grandchild on both sides) only getting two gifts. However, I attempted to do this anyway because I don't want him to be spoiled. My son wrote a letter to Santa asking for a kitchen and a cash register with money.

My husband and I decided to travel to all three grandparents' homes this holiday. (I think we're crazy.) I didn't realize how inconsistent the Santa stories would be from house to house and how quickly my son would start questioning things.

My dad's house was first. He got him some great gifts, but he said they were from Santa. What does my son say? "I didn't order this from Santa! I think he got my name mixed up with another kid." And he didn't just say this once. It was repeated over and over this year! It was quite embarrassing! He only expected the two gifts we wrote down in his Santa letter.(And yes, my 4-year-old said "order" instead of "want." I'm not sure where that came from.)

And the stories about why Santa brought him gifts at every one's house made absolutely no sense. Some gifts were left at the door. Other gifts were under the tree after church. Some gifts magically fit through the chimney. Others were left on the front porch because they didn't fit through the chimney. It was crazy trying to keep all the stories straight, but also very amusing!

So, my little one didn't expect to be spoiled for Christmas this year, but it happened anyway. I don't know what to do now. I think we'll have to start over next year and just make him very grateful for all the gifts he got this year. We also talked about giving away some of his toys he no longer plays with.

I got to thinking, what is a spoiled child anyway? When I looked at the definition of a spoiled child I realized my son isn't really spoiled. He just got too many gifts. Spoiled has a lot more to do with how a child acts. Are there a lot of tantrums? Does he follow instructions or say "no" constantly? Does he try to boss other people around?

And what really causes children to be spoiled? Most experts say it's the parenting. It's about sticking to the rules you set and not giving in. I think we all know it's sometimes much easier to give in! I will have to keep this in mind.

Dr. Barton Schmitt estimates about 5% of children are truly spoiled.

Do you have any advice for parents trying to prevent their kids from being spoiled?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Autism Epidemic

If you have even the tiniest inclination that your child is behind developmentally, I urge you to get them checked out. It is normal for you to be in denial, but it can hurt your child in the long run.

Autism is now impacting one in every 150 kids. It is at epidemic proportions. If your child does, in fact, have a form of autism there is a window of opportunity you don't want to miss. The kids I've seen who are treated early, by 18 months, have much better results.

If you have any concerns at all about your child's development, a screening will only help. Most states offer them for free.

My son does not have autism, but he did have a speech delay. That's how I got involved with a group that helps kids with autism. My pediatrician (not my current doctor) said, "Oh, he's a boy. Boys talk later than girls. He'll catch up." He did catch up, but there are so many kids who don't. So I don't think that's a good thing to say to parents. I have heard parents of children with autism tell me the same stories about their pediatricians and they regret waiting to have their kids screened.

And what about all the controversy over what causes autism?

I spent a year researching this topic, and produced a half-hour special explaining the history of autism, signs and symptoms, and the theories on what is causing the increase in cases.

I posted two of the stories on YouTube from the half hour special: Autism Diagnosis (4:09) and Autism Symptoms(3:55)

If you'd like a copy of the entire special, just e-mail me at:

NewsAnchorMom@gmail.com

I compiled a lot more information about the Autism Epidemic Special, including the safety of immunization shots, on my station's website.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen