Christmas costs less at Wal-Mart

The on going conversation in our home for the last 6-8 weeks has been about a video game called the Nintendo DS. Madison, who has never played a video game in her life, is convinced she will die without one. The DS was the only item on her birthday wish list and her Christmas list. The problem? It costs $170!

Kim and I have polled dozens of parents and discussed the issue of the DS to the point of being exhausted. On the one hand, the DS is the ONLY thing she wants for Christmas. On the other hand, she has never been interested in video games and I believe this obsession to be completely peer pressure based. I overheard many a first grader at the classroom Christmas party say they are asking for a DS.

Who buys their kid a toy for $170? Maddie can barely keep up with her jacket at school. How is she going to keep up with a toy that costs $170? I have nightmares about the DS being left outside, at a friend's house, taken up at school, or any other countless scenarios. And then we are out $170!! And then Kim is going to kill one or both of us for giving a 7 year a toy this expensive! It has been a real dilemma. Right now, Madison is a tree climbing, trampoline jumping, play as hard as I can kind of girl. I don't want her to be an inside girl who plays with video games all the time.

Well, the entire issue worked itself out when Madison counted her birthday and Christmas money received from aunts, uncles, and other special people in her life. The kid had $150 is C-A-S-H! Wow! So yesterday Madison decided she wanted to wipe the piggy bank clean to buy her very own DS. Brilliant! Not only do we get out of making a decision, but she learns a valuable lesson about money. Now if she loses the DS, she is out the money and not us. This means only 1 of us will be crying! She has accepted a tremendous amount of responsibility in buying the DS because it cannot leave the house for any reason and it will be the first thing taken away when her ears won't work.

For example, she declared on the way to church this morning that was absolutely not going to Sunday School. Kim told her to pass over the DS. Suddenly Madison turned into Miss Sunday School American, ambassador to all children everywhere on behalf of Christian educators. Kim looks at me and says, we should have bought this a long time ago. Amen.

So back to yesterday. Madison cleans out the piggy bank and we place the funds in a zip lock bag in preparation for finding the perfect DS. Maddie feels it should be blue and waits patiently as we search for the best deal in the sales ads for after Christmas. Wanting to contribute to the search, Maddie declares confidently that Christmas costs less at Wal-Mart. We froze. And then burst into laughter. I think it is safe to say advertising works, regardless of age.

Maddie and McKenzie played at the neighbor's house while we ventured out to Wal-Mart last night. We returned home with a blue DS and left it on the kitchen counter for Maddie to discover on her own. She walked in the door and burst into cheers. She jumped up and down, hugging both of us and shouting with joy. McKenzie was swept into the excitement of the moment and began jumping and shouting too. She followed Maddie's lead and hugged each of us. Maddie stopped dead in her tracks and said, "You can't play it!" McKenzie thought for a moment and then went right back to rejoicing for Maddie's big moment. What a wonderful sister she is to Maddie.

So for anyone considering the purchase of a DS for a 7 year old, think of it as a great behavior modification tool and have your 7 year old pitch in. The lessons abound!