September 1, 2006 - Friday
Harry and Jeremy sure are consumers. I took them to a book store to buy presents for their mother's birthday tomorrow and that was fine. I suppose it's a little silly for them to "buy" mommy presents because they really don't have a very good sense of want mommy likes, wants, or needs, nor do they have the money for it, but I think it's an important exercise for them, just like it is for them to go with me to the store to buy presents for the birthday parties they attend. Learning to think about others and want others would like, learning to detach just a little from their own inherent self-centeredness will take time, but I'd think they'd get a little closer each time. Besides, it's good for them to understand that gift-giving goes both ways and can be fun both ways.

Harry already hand colored a rather lovely (for a 6-six-year-old) bookmark at school that he'll give to mommy. It features fish so I suggested he get a seafood cookbook. It actually didn't happen quite that quickly, but it suffices to say that once at the store Harry was fine with the idea of finishing the task of finding a gift. Jeremy's gift took a little more browsing, but when I happened to pull "The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookbook" off the shelf I knew I had found the right thing.

But then I took the boys to a Crate & Barrel to try and find a replacement for a recently broken wedding gift; a blue and white serving dish. Of course, they didn't have the blue and white one from 15 years ago, but they did have a white one of a similar size that came with a steel cradle for carrying and trivet-less table placement. Why would the boys care about that? I don't really know, but when I hinted that I might buy they, Harry especially, latched onto the idea. What's more, he started to look around for other accessories, candles holders and candles, that might also be good to buy. Of course, it's not that Harry has a keen eye for design, he just likes to buy.


Comments, Opinions?