Tre is my youngest son, and at age 12 he has already developed a fetish for all things Apple – just like his sister. He wants absolutely nothing to do with android tablets, or Microsoft computers – and as far as phones go, forget it. I have been bombarded on a daily basis for the past five months with requests for an iPhone for Christmas or his birthday.
I have told said son, repeatedly, that we just do not have an iPhone budget. If I’m using a little $60 android telephone, what on earth makes him think that he would get an iPhone before me? When it comes to his reasoning on that one, I am completely and totally clueless. For months I have endured the constant, never-ending parade of websites that are offering “FREE iPhones, Mom!” to which there are catches and contracts – all of which go completely over his head.
His sister is going to be upgrading to an iPhone 6 in May … and generously offered to let him have her iPhone 5 when she does (at a small price to me). I am cool with that – would give me time to save up some money to pay her for it. But no … that just is not good enough for the tween. He wants an iPhone or an iPod Touch 5 – NOW. Especially after what happened today.
The boys came home from school, dumped their belongings in their room, and came and plopped down on the bed to chit-chat with me. Tre was on my tablet playing one of the games, Jonathan was behind him playing on his phone. Or rather, what we thought was his phone. Apparently, one of Jonathan’s friends upgraded to an iPhone 6 and decided to just give Jonathan his iPod Touch since he no longer needed/wanted it. (Personally, I think it must be nice to just give electronic devices away that cost a couple hundred dollars but that’s just me. I should note that the phone with no service just wifi capability that Jonathan is using was also given to him by another friend who upgraded their phone and just had it lying around taking up space.)
Tre turned around to say something to Jonathan, saw the iPod Touch and lost his ever-loving mind. He went into full-blown drama queen mode like you would not believe. “I’ve been waiting for an iPod for 5 years!” and “I hate my life! It is so not fair!” and the screaming and crying and kicking his bed in pure, unbridled frustration for over 45 minutes has worn my nerves completely ragged.
I hate this. I hate not being able to give them the things that they want – when they want them. I hate that I have to tell them no – to anything – and I hate not being able to afford the things that they want. I especially hate Apple for making my tween absolutely and completely insane when it comes to all things iP-related.
I was planning on putting one on layaway for him for Christmas. Nothing fancy, just a small one, and he already understands that IF he were to get an iPod Touch 5 for Christmas, there would not be much of anything else under the tree – at least not large ticket items. They get one large ticket item per Christmas and then smaller items that they need or want.
My sanity is not going to last another three months. It isn’t. I know, every time he sees Jonathan with his iPod Touch in his hands, he is going to go off the deep end again.
So I’ve come up with a solution of sorts. I’m a blogger, I review products and books, provide advertising on my blog, as well as hosting giveaways throughout the year. I am willing to trade my services (for however long needed to compensate for the cost) in exchange for an iPod Touch 5 for my tween. It is the only option I can think of to get him what he so desperately wants and keep me out of a padded cell at the moment.
So what do you think? Would you be willing to trade an iPod Touch 5 for my services? If you are interested – send me an email or use the contact form on our site!
