For many people, having a baby shower is a normal rite of passage in the course of a pregnancy. It’s a happy time where family and friends can gather to celebrate the upcoming birth with gifts, supplies, food, and other cultural or religious traditions of significance.
While I had a baby shower for my firstborn, I’m currently pregnant with my 5th child and people keep asking me if I’m going to have one for this baby. I always look at them askance (though I know they mean well) and say no.
Here are the reasons why I’m not having a baby shower for this last one:
We already have enough|We already have enough
What I really want|What I really want
What I really want is for people to bring me food when the baby is born or cash in lieu of gifts. We all need to eat, and I hate cooking! Anyone who takes that burden off of me is a hero in my book. As for the cash, it may not be a thing in American culture, but for my Taiwanese culture, it’s amazing and I feel so loved. I always open accounts for my children as soon as they’re born and deposit any amounts happily. College is already expensive enough — college for five kids makes me want to cry.
I know that I tend to veer toward grouchy and curmudgeonly, begrudging gifts and ultimately robbing the giver of joy. So in general, I am trying to be more gracious and grateful when people want to give me or my family things that I perhaps don’t want or need. But in the meantime, if any of my friends happen to read my article, you know what to do!|What I really want is for people to bring me food when the baby is born or cash in lieu of gifts. We all need to eat, and I hate cooking! Anyone who takes that burden off of me is a hero in my book. As for the cash, it may not be a thing in American culture, but for my Taiwanese culture, it’s amazing and I feel so loved. I always open accounts for my children as soon as they’re born and deposit any amounts happily. College is already expensive enough — college for five kids makes me want to cry.
I know that I tend to veer toward grouchy and curmudgeonly, begrudging gifts and ultimately robbing the giver of joy. So in general, I am trying to be more gracious and grateful when people want to give me or my family things that I perhaps don’t want or need. But in the meantime, if any of my friends happen to read my article, you know what to do!
