I wasn’t sure I would make it to posting tonight.
My oldest child has lost 2 teeth this week. He has my sleeping tendencies [taking forever to fall asleep], so I have had to wait up for the tooth fairy to come. Plus, our good elf pal, Bob, tends to cause mischief at night too. Needless to say, my midnights have been a little busy.
It did get me wondering though. In other families, is there usually one parent that does the “magic making”? Do both parents get in on it?
We both tend to make mental and written notes on gifts throughout the year. I think we both do a mostly equal amount of work in finalizing gifts. Now because of the pandemic we have done all our shopping by ordering online. We use to go shopping together in one day to knock it all out. It was a day I looked forward to every year. This year, we still did get a night to get everything done. But, it didn’t feel the same. I guess you could say it was a tradition of ours since becoming parents. We basically just sat in the livingroom. I wrapped everything and he built a few things.
I have seen plenty of the wrap with me videos on YouTube. All the ones I have seen are women doing all the wrapping. I have been really curious if this is a “societal norm”. You will have to let me know how it works in your family!
Growing up, my grandpa would use newspaper to wrap gifts. Sometimes they would come in plastic bags. He would always say he used the most expensive gift wrap. I don’t recall seeing my parents wrap anything before the divorce happened, but we always had wrapped gifts. I do know afterwards, my mom’s gifts would always be wrapped and my dad’s would be hidden under a blanket or something of that nature (unless his fiance at the time wrapped them). I have never seen my step dad wrap a gift. It just appears to be a “gender norm” that women do the wrapping.
I feel like moms are so eager to bring joy and excitement that we go through great lengths to make it so. In a way, we are “extra”. If that makes sense. These things aren’t needed, but seeing the joy and excitement feels worth it.
I feel like I am trying to make sense, but am rambling on. I am tired, please forgive me haha.
Let’s end this on a cute grinchie note.
🎄jenn
Reclaiming My Sanity 