A while back I read an interesting study on low income versus middle class families and how they give gifts to their children. Parents in low income families, the study states, had an easier time restricting their children from material items simply because they could not afford them. It is easier for a parent to say, "I'm sorry, I can't buy you that," than it is to say, "I'm sorry, I choose not to buy you that." For this reason, children in low income households, often learn to deal with hearing 'no' and with that disappointment at a much younger age. There's something about the holiday season that makes us wish that was not always true though. While I did not grow up in an affluent household (by any means) my parents were always able to make sure we had Christmas. Maybe not like all of my other friends, but something nice for us.
Mr. Castillo's Project Santa Claus kicked off this week and the goal is to help those kids that have dealt with that disappointment for years. One student explained to a counselor that his parents had already told him that there would not be any presents this year and he asked us to get things for his little brother instead. With all of the extra things that schools have to do in addition to classroom instruction, helping out those that sit in our classrooms seems like a positive distraction. I encourage you to help rally a team or club that you work with to help support this cause this year. While I wish it was not a necessity, I would love for this to become a new tradition for Greene Central.
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