I have lovely children. I don’t know how long they’re going to stay this way so I’m enjoying them as much as I can for as long as I can. A couple of days before Christmas, Tom and I walked to the local discount goods store to do our Christmas shopping for the kids. We agreed that we were going to buy them only one “real” present apiece because we didn’t want to lug a bunch of stuff back to the U.S. We ended up buying two toys, a small bag of candy and a $1 box of cookies for each of them, as well as a box of cereal to share. I think we spent a grand total of $40 on Christmas presents this year.
When the kids unwrapped their gifts, there wasn’t an ounce of disappointment or confusion, even though they’d received many more gifts in previous years. They were perfectly happy with what they got. They’re not greedy little monsters, at least not yet, and I love them for that.
In the evening we took them for a long walk around Champs-Élysées and then to see Christmas window displays. They walked, and sometimes ran and skipped, for hours without complaint. They’ve evolved so much from the whiny, unbearable children that we dragged (and often carried) around with us in Vietnam. I’m so proud of my little traveling companions, and I love every holiday that I get to spend with them.
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Life's Too Short 