Posts tagged Question

When you have children, it is inevitable that they have friends. And it is inevitable that these friends have birthdays and birthday parties so. Between pre-school and dance classes and other activities after school, my five year old daughter Camille has hundreds of “best friends”. So Camille is a lot of birthday parties and, therefore, is his dad. I often find myself realize ten minutes before we were leaving for a party that I completely forgot to make a gift. Gifts are not optional. and last week I was very proud of me when I bought the gift of the week made several days in advance.

So no need to stress this point. I have everything under control, so I thought until about five minutes before we were to leave for the party. I have never packaged this and had no gift “acceptable wrapping paper in the house. Life is all about how the entire market you, so I thought long and hard about the how I was going to sell Camille on the wonderful fact that there would be no wrapping paper. T-even notice it? If she does, she knows that Daddy is to save the environment. Why a dead tree often cranky, spoiled Amanda Who needs the additional trash? We are saving the planet.

As we go to the party with a princess Barbie in my hand, Camille scolds me: “Dad, we forgot Amanda Gift!”. “Camille, I have the gift here in my hand.” No, Dad, you a Barbie doll in your hand. You forgot to gift wrap. You have to gift wrap. “No darling Cami, I have not forgotten. I know how much you love trees and Amanda, and the wrapping paper comes from trees. So we save a tree by not putting the wrapping paper, and in this way Amanda and everyone at the party get to see right away what you have for her. “Camille was pissed. She got her” you must be the stupidest father in the world face on “and looked at me. Since, in general, I think Camille limited intelligence, she often explains things for me in analogies. “Daddy, given a gift without wrapping paper, is like playing with a Barbie doll without clothes for Barbie. It is boring and not funny.” I shot back, “Camilla, the Gifts are like people, they are never as fun as you want them! “Dad, gifts are like people, they do not want to be ugly. My gift wrapping paper is pretty.” OK I need a change of tactics.

“Camille, you know paper gift can be very expensive?” Right dad. He said you’re cheap. You’re cheap. “Daddy says I’m cheap? When did he say that?” Just because I buy generic laundry detergent. It’s the same thing! Because I add a little water at Minute Maid Fruit Punch? It is so sweet. “

“Packaging Gift and takes about ten minutes and it never looks that great, unless you are a professional gift wrapper. If you think of thousands of gifts you wrap them in a life, you spend days or weeks your lifetime gift wrapping, using less paper will share that enthusiasm with anyone see what’s underneath. If gift wrapping is so important, why not just empty boxes to give as gifts. Is not it the thought that counts? The world just forget that superficial?

Nobody listened to my diatribe. Camille had left for the game with Dad, who is French, Chinese silk had that could be used as wrapping paper hidden under the bed. Amanda received a Barbie doll beautifully packaged and guess who is probably get a blank box for Father’s Day!