Pillow Talk with Ross

Ross had been acting particularly grumpy the last few days so I decided we needed a little snuggle time to get to the bottom of things.

After our regular night time routine yesterday I called him in to snuggle and talk. I said, "Ross, I am worried about you. Are you okay?" After a few moments of thought he said, "Okay Mom here is the deal, I either want you to give me up for adoption or I want to see some changes around here." Despite his complete sincerity I found it hard not to laugh. After composing myself I managed to say, "Well, since giving you up for adoption is not an option- lets hear about the changes you would like to see." He launched into a list of 7 things he wanted to be different about our family- clearly he had given this some thought. Here they are in the order he gave them to me.

1. Making money chores worth more than $1 each.
2. Giving a raise in allowance.
3. Getting better "stuff" to play with.
4. Getting a pet you can "play with" (like a dog, chickens or a fish (his words not mine))
5. Doing more fun things as a family.
6. Being less busy.
7. Getting a game system of some sort.

Seriously people, what am I going to do with this kid? I love that he was willing to share his concerns (heck I am impressed that he could identify and verbalize what was bothering him) but... mama mia! Isn't this a little... I don't know, weird?

I mean, I actually agree with him on many of these things- they are changes I would like to see too (all except the game system thing of course). We have an extraordinary boring life and I imagine it is stifling to a fun loving guy like Ross but I am just not sure what to do about it.

On the one hand, life to is to lived to its fullest and enjoyed and if you can make things better for your children you should, right? But sometimes I think my kids have it WAY too easy and WAY too good. They had no idea what life is like for most people. I mean, if my sons greatest concerns in life are that he doesn't have a pet to play with or a game system to use, then his view is pretty limited. And while I get that that is probably normal for a 7 year old, I wish there was someway to teach them to recognize how much they have and to be grateful for it. Of course, we talk about "counting our blessing" and being grateful and living here in Italy (where so many people have so little) has helped a little but... they only know it in their minds they don't yet feel it in their hearts. (SIGH)

What can I do to teach them? How can I be a better example? What experience can I create for them to help them understand? Is it wrong to want them to have everything great opportunity and experience I can provide? Is it cruel to want them to make to struggle for things? What is the right balance?