advice ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Providing a premier Catholic education, Pre-K to Grade 8, to the Staten Island community for over 100 years.
Middle States Accredited
Mother Franciska Early Childhood Center featuring 3 & 4 year old programs. Call for info.
Before & After Care Available
850 Hylan Blvd, SI, NY 10305
718-981-1187 x9136 • stjosephhillacademy.com
Ask DadandBuried “The holidays are here, somehow, and that means it’s gift and, more stressfully, gift-giving season. For me and my wife, that is. Our kids don’t do anything. How do I get them involved?” —Richard, Dobbs Ferry
R
ichard, I feel your pain. My entire fall is overloaded with holidays—my son’s birthday, my wedding anniversary, my wife’s birthday, and then Christmas. When it comes to providing gifts, it all falls entirely on Mom and/ or Dad. When are these damn kids gonna start pulling their weight? To be fair, some of this is not their fault. My oldest is only 11, and it being 2021, he’s no longer allowed to clock in at the factory. Progress is a double-edged sword! My point is, I’m not about to make my sixth-grader break open his piggy bank to buy Mommy a new set of stemless wine glasses for Christmas. My 5-year-old has it easy. In kindergarten, they’ll schedule entire classes around having the kids make their parents gifts. And at that age, nothing more than some handmade trinket or scribbly card is expected—or needed. But that doesn’t last: My 11-year-old’s math teacher isn’t about to spend a week helping the kids make Mommy a macaroni necklace! So my dude ends up being a freeloader, totally relying on me and his mom to provide gifts for everyone. That said, I’m totally with you: My kids need to start participating in the gift process! The solution? I think it’s simply to get the kids involved in the process. Bring them to the mall or spend time together browsing Amazon. Let them choose a couple things, and when they arrive, let them wrap them. That way, they can see the effort, and better enjoy the reaction when the gift is opened. If you really want to get nuts, it might be time to tell them the truth about Santa. It’s cute that my kids still believe that a sub-zero KoolAid man puts all those gifts under the tree, but the real world ain’t so magical. Mommy and Daddy bust their asses all year making sure they can afford the latest toys, and bust their backs all Christmas Eve lugging them out to keep the magic alive. You know what magic I want to keep alive? The magic of my kids thinking about someone besides themselves for once. That’s why I’m sending my Christmas list right to their bedroom, so they can spend a few weeks figuring out how to get their hands on that bottle of Johnny Walker Blue I’ve been dying to try.
Our advice column features the wise and humorous commentary of Mike Julianelle (aka @DadandBuried), a 40-something influencer with a popular podcast who lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR DADANDBURIED? 10 December 2021 • siparent.com
Send it to editor@nymetroparents.com with the subject “DadandBuried’s Advice.”
