What a good question!! My answer - yes, children unfortunatley do. But, to be honest, if the parents don't tell them 'no' then can we really be surprised?

When I was a kid I got £25 for Christmas. Before the big day, Mum would take me and my siblings (I'm one of five) to the shops and we'd get to decide what we might like for that amount. My list of Barbies was always long but I had to make the decision to only get £25 worth. To be honest, I loved it! I got to write lists out of all the things I wanted (I tracked down the cheapest options too!) and work out everything down to the last penny!! I've always loved being organised, I guess!!! (Kept me occupied too during the run up to Christmas which seems FOREVER as a kid!) On the day it was just as special as if I had received hundreds of pounds worth of toys. The excitement about opening the gifts that you'd agonised over was huge! :-) I think the majority of children today are spoilt - for a variety of reasons - and I'm glad for the way I was raised. The last thing I would have wanted was my poor parents going through Christmas with a massive credit card bill hanging over them.

I think it must ba harder for parents who tell their children Santa exsists. But there's a lot to be said for raising your children not to be greedy and expect to get everything. After all, Christmas is about more than presents (and I'm not necessary talking about the religous implications as I am not a Christian) - family is what's important and children need to know that the whole family should have fun together.

My children will be raised in the was I was with regards to Christmas/birthdays. I'll also be keeping them in line regarding pocket money!! I can't believe how much some children receive these days!!! :-O

:-)

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Student on the Access to Health Studies course at Somerset College 2008/09!!