What Are Parents Thinking?!?!?

I was very saddened and frustrated at a Christmas party last night for several reasons.

1. I was excited that instead of a gift exchange among ourselves, I was told that we were to bring gifts to be given to a needy family in our church. My husband told me I had $25 to spend. I searched Goodwill, consignment shops, and my home for gifts for the three year old boy that matched his interests. Then my husband went to Target to pick up the odds and ends to complete the gifts...like slides to go with the view master, a remote to go with the monster truck, a stuffed dinosaur to go with the Land Before Time video, etc. We were also told that there would be a box for monetary donations. Upon arriving at the party, I asked about the box because I had $10 left of our budget to donate. I was told we would do that later, and then later was told it was forgotten. I was the only one to bring gifts for the needy family, and the children at the party demolished them...opened the new gifts out of their packages, tore the pages in some of the books, trampled them and scattered them about in different rooms and left them.

2. Some of the other families were dressed to the hilt. I felt out of place in my normal everyday clothes. I don't own fancy clothes, nor am I sure I want to. I also felt that the families were rude who would not make room for our family to sit. I wanted to leave after that. I wasn't there for the food or to show off my outfit. I thought this was going to be about celebrating Jesus and blessing another family in our church.

3. I sat briefly (before being asked to move) with a friend from my childhood that I'd not seen in about 20 years. She was there with her six year old who was also very rude and kept saying he wanted to home and blow up people on his video games. She was telling me that he is addicted to these games and there is nothing she can do about it because her aunt buys him adult games. I was in shock. He is six years old. She is his mother. I remember the struggle I had with my mother-in-law and the lengths I went to to raise my children away from her negative controlling influence. I know it's wrong for me to judge, but I wanted to shake her and say, "What is wrong with you?!?!?!" He is six, you are his mother. It's your responsibility to protect him, train him, love him!! Do parents not have any sense of responsibility for raising their children anymore?

4. I tried to re-collect the toys the children were destroying that were for the family we were going to bless, and was told it didn't matter...the recipient was only three and wasn't going to notice or care if his gifts have already been opened and torn up. What I heard was that they didn't want to be bothered with entertaining their own kids and telling the kids to leave what doesn't belong to them alone.

5. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I cleared the tables, helped put away the chairs, and then I left the toys with the kids because they were still playing and I was told to chill out about it. As I was praying this morning about my attitude, the Lord showed me that the family we were going to bless was one that I know personally. I'll use the $10 left from the budget to shop again and deliver the gifts personally to their home.

6. I have a definite attitude problem toward rich snobby people who don't take responsibility for their children. I'm done with the church's mom's group.