Texas Twins Events/Pawning Planners & Little Pawners Are Occasionally Competitive-

I’m confused as to why all of our older children think the Little Pawners are spoiled and “get everything they want around here.”  Yesterday afternoon, I took both of my niece’s to lunch with Latest Little Pawner Madyson Blais and went over the Christmas List with both of them. On top of griping over gift giving my team members also complained when the Little Pawners made more money at a recent event that they acted as flower girls in.  Everyone in my family works for me at Texas Twins Events and they all think “someone has it better than someone else around here!”  It isn’t easy being me or my twin sister, Cindy Daniel who bases many of her Cindyisms on our bickering band of family members.

It is an ongoing issue among not only my niece’s but also my son that Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney “get the best of everything around here.”  While I find such revelations to be shocking and somewhat biased- it should be noted that the older children were raised by both Cindy Daniel and I when we were struggling divorced mothers doing the best we could to provide for Robert Hafele, Leigh Ann Blais and Stephaney Mahaney.  After all, they never went hungry or without clothing!  In fact, my son has travelled the world several times as has my niece, Leigh Ann.  All 3 of them have been to Disneyland and Six Flags as well as numerous outdoor events and all three of them have had cars that we paid for but, to hear it from them, their childhoods were remarkably different from the darling Little Pawners who have suggested rather expensive Christmas items this year. 

The “Tiny Texas Twins” have requested Kangaroo Jumping Shoes and a glider that is similar to a Segway only without the handles.  Cindy Daniel and I agree that these items are priced above traditional Christmas Wish List standards but, advised them both that “if you really want something- you have to work to earn it” by saving their allowances to purchase these items that we think are dangerous in the first place! 

Every year at Christmas the older children compare gifts and gripe that someone got something better or more expensive than someone else and this ongoing battle continues to infuriate me.  The older children “forget” the year round loans and items purchased by Cindy or I that aren’t considered “part of their Christmas list.”  Leigh Ann and Stephanie both think my son was spoiled with expensive clothing and toys while my son thinks that they were spoiled with “brand new cars” while his first car was 5 years old.  Will I ever hear the end of this competition? Probably not and neither will my twin sister!  Let’s face it, Cindy and I split all the expenses of the twins because she has never received child support from their deadbeat dad and their mother, Stephaney Mahaney was absent for a number of years while Cindy and I struggled to give the twins everything we could afford.  Stephaney told me yesterday that “at this rate they will have a car before I do!”  I found this interesting since all three of our grown children were given cars and the fact that they wrecked them has somehow been wiped from their memory banks.  Robert bought his first “brand new” car last year and is currently making his own car payments.  If you were to ask him about it- he would quickly tell you that he is the most responsible adult child because he also “pays rent and all of his bills himself” while Leigh Ann lived at home and “bill free” until she was 30 years old and Stephaney was given “every car she wrecked.”  Currently, her latest wrecked car is sitting in my sisters backyard.  No, we have no plans to fix it since Stephaney allowed the insurance to lapse.  Leigh Ann is two years older than Stephaney and Stephaney is five years older than my son Robert.  To hear it from those three, you would think that Cindy and I run around “forgetting” that we even have older children!  The fact is that our older children still call for money and expenses when “they are broke” and both Leigh Ann and Stephaney are living “rent free” at my sisters overcrowded home aka the DanielDivaDiggs in Weatherford, Texas.  My son lives three blocks from WorthamWorld and often comes over for groceries or a hot meal.  Leigh Ann is now a mother to Madyson Elizabeth Blais who is always “dressed stylishly” by both Meme E and Meme C (my sister and I) the Little Pawners couldn’t pronounce Meme W and call me E instead. 

While I would love for this Christmas to “roll by” without comparisons of who got what and how much the item cost- as usual I’m certain that such a luxury of stress free gift giving will be found at someone else’s home and certainly not ours. 

Ironically, having Stephaney complain about her own children “having a far better childhood” is somewhat unsettling to my twin and I.  Perhaps we should have made her volunteer more often at Fishes and Loaves to better understand what true struggling actually is?  With Cindy’s retaining wall falling down and the usual home repair fiascos going on over at the DanielDivaDiggs we both find it interesting that rather than “chipping in” to help pay for do it yourself repairs- Leigh Ann and Stephaney are choosing to focus on the extravagant gift list of the twins and deciding that “as usual they will get whatever they want even though every year their list gets more outrageous!”  Hmm, what would you do?  The fact that the twins both have iPhones and Stephaney doesn’t was quickly brought up by both of my niece’s.  To hear it from my son, “Leigh Ann has always had the latest and greatest electronic devices because she has never had to pay rent!” The ongoing arguments of my family members doesn’t stop at Christmas either, in fact every time we load up and head out to our next wedding or event- Leigh Ann will only eat at a restaurant with a waitress, Stephaney hates Mexican food and Robert can’t stand Italian gives you a fair indication of how difficult even the smallest family meal can be for two sets of Texas Twins.  Never mind the fact that Cindy and I are “footing the bill” as the suv’s “split up” to go to separate restaurants because no one can agree on the same one! 

Cindy and I normally “look haggard” after a road trip for a very good reason- being locked up in the suv’s with the older children and the Little Pawners has us “at our wits end” ready to pull our hair out! Yesterday at lunch both of my niece’s began singing the song that Cindy and I sang every time they asked for something that was too expensive during the year and had to be put on their Christmas List.  The song?  “We can’t afford it, we can’t afford it, no, no, no, no and no!”  I forgot the song but the tune was catchy and since I’ve been blessed enough by hard work and my husbands income as Vice President at McBee Homes, I haven’t had to sing that song in years but, may this year of the twins can’t come up with items costing less than $300.00 each! 

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family but I also spend a LOT of time with them since we all work together too and occasionally, it would be nice if everyone tried harder at getting along with each other rather than comparing who has what and who worked to get it!  Several years ago to end the bickering at her house, Cindy gave each of our adult children $100 each so no one could complain about “getting a better gift.”  Did this work? No because Meme E (me) likes to have gifts opened and doesn’t believe in giving money for Christmas. 

With a bah humbug, this Texas Twin is Travelling to Gordon, Texas today to take Christmas gifts to my Aunt Shirley who is home recovering from a double bypass.  Last week, I took the Little Pawners grocery shopping for my aunt and advised them that many folks “don’t have money for even basic things like food, be thankful for what you have.”  I’m certain that I’ve told this to the older children a hundred times but, perhaps my reality fell upon their deaf ears?  One thing is certain- my aunt will be thrilled with whatever I bring her because gifts from Cindy and I are always appreciated from my aunt and cousins who “aren’t rich.”  We aren’t rich either and without both of us “footing the bill” our older children would be forced to tighten their purse strings and stop splurging on shopping and entertainment but we may be too late to teach them “the value of a dollar.”  Leigh Ann told me that the twins “never wear second hand clothing like we had to.”  I consider this for a moment since both Cindy and I regularly wear second hand items and asked “where would you find a set of matching items at Goodwill, Thriftown or the Salvation Army?”  I’m not too good to wear a bargain while reusing and recycling but for some reason, our older kids think they are.  It’s time to volunteer the older kids with us at the Salvation Army again to remind them what they have to be thankful for and at the top of that list, I wish to add TWO MOMS raising the three of them with everything we could afford while skipping buying anything for ourselves.  Being a parent requires sacrifice and sometimes- it takes a village to raise a child (or three).

Happy Holidays from our family to yours and if you have a child that thinks Christmas is “for getting rather than giving” do yourself a favor and volunteer with them on a Meals on Wheels route or other community charity to give them a better handle on what they have to be thankful for!  I’m coming up with a new song too, “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!”

Wendy M Wortham