Had a quiet day at home alone yesterday. But I was busy cooking and prepping for my own Thanksgiving dinner -- roasted an excellent 12 pound turkey, made dressing, green bean casserole, etc. I even nailed the turkey gravy too -- turned out just right. Dessert was apple pie (given to the employees at work).
I enjoyed a sumptuous meal in gratitude and in solitude, but I will really celebrate this evening when I pick up my two S's and serve them from my little feast. I can hardly wait.
I'm at work now. Been negotiating with ex via email over the Christmas wish list our S's have their hearts set on. The big item of contention (always sems to be some point of contention) is S8's wish for the $400 Lego set he's had his eye on for months and months.
That's a lot of money for a single Christmas gift for a single person. In my day, Santa Claus had his limits. But xW doesn't think so.
Up until recently S8 had been saving his own allowance up for this big ticket item, and I was very supportive of that. But with Christmas looming he's given up and wants to let Santa Clause take up the cause for him. I had hoped ex would have helped put the kibosh on that alternate plan, but obviously not. She has even allowed S8 to blow most of what he has already managed to save on other things. Gee, thanks, xW.
Now I'm stuck. I have proposed S8 put up the remainder of his allowance, about $90, towards the Lego set and Santa would cover the rest (ex and I would split this cost evenly). This is going to be a very expensive Christmas in a year I am still very much seriously in debt because of all the legal bills exW caused me this year.
And we haven't even addressed what S5 is wanting yet. <sigh>
It's so funny. (Sad funny, not "ha-ha" funny). If this had come up while exW and I were still married -- that is, back at a time when my money was "our" money -- xW wouldn't even think about blowing so much dough on a single, somewhat frivolous gift for one of our kids -- she would have said it was too much and coached S8 to find something more reasonable. But now that my money is involved, she has no problems in frittering it all away. Yes, she's supposedly chipping in too, but since I subsidize her costs anyway through CS payments, it's just not the same impact for her.
I also worry about the precedence this sets for S8's expectations. I love my kids and I want to figuratively spoil them, but I don;t want to literally spoil them.
