Gifts
I have found a pattern in my party planning. When I’m shopping for my children at their birthdays or December, I’m conservative in my buying. Savannah always gets one or two things on her list, which is always 5 times that long. When she shows me her list and talks about it, I can see two things; one, she knows she won’t get everything on the list, and two, this year there were subtleties in her approach. She’s conscious of appearing greedy.
I love that. I want to reach out and hug her for it. She’s thoughtful of her place in the world, and I’m happy to see that so far she has not fallen for the notion of entitlement that so many children of this generation and in our location on the map seem to have fallen for.
It must mean I’m correct in my conservative shopping. But then I wrap the gifts. It’s almost always the night before the friends come for games and cake, and every time I panic a little. I’m sad that I didn’t give her just one or two more things on her list. Then I wonder if I’ll have time to pick up High School Musical 2 or one of those American Girl movies tomorrow before the party. (I won’t.)
Her main present is an American Girl accessory. (She owns two American Girl dolls which she paid for herself with allowance and birthday/grandma money.) Before wrapping the box, I saw the catalogue in it. I’ve thrown several away before she ever even saw them. I know, aren’t I cruel? ;-) But some I give to her. Tonight, the catalogue reminded me how I felt when I was young and looked at wish books. I knew I couldn’t have _any_thing in them. That doesn’t bother me now, seeing things I can’t have, but it was very sad when I was young. I hope it’s not like that for her. I don’t think it is. I believe she has more ambition than I did, more knowledge than I had that she can work toward something.
On her card I drew a picture of nine individual candles, some with little polka dots, some with big, some with stripes, one a flower collar and the last, the ninth, large wings and a smile on the flame. The front of the card quotes Helen Keller. “Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all.”
