My children have never received a Christmas present – trolls think it’s cruel but I know better
WITH just a month until Christmas Day, many parents will have started panicking about what presents with appear under the tree.
However, one mum has admitted that her children have never received presents from Santa – despite trolls saying she is cruel.
Whilst most kids will already be browsing toy shops, Cherlyn Sue has revealed that her two children have yet to have presents waiting under the tree.
With two tots under five, Jonathan, 4, and Emma, 2, the family choose to celebrate the big day in an unusual way.
Instead of stockings, Cherlyn and her husband Jared, 42, treat their kids to days out in the New Year – such as days out at the zoo or theme parks.
The Aussie mum insists that her kids don’t miss out, with them getting extra one-on-one time during their day trips.
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“Christmas is not really a huge deal for us, as we have no other family here,” she explained to news.com.au last year, adding that her family went on a road trip instead.
“The kids don’t get presents for Christmas, but they’re not deprived. They’ve had so many amazing experiences and memories made,” she told the outlet.
Unsurprisingly, there’s been some major backlash to Cherlyn’s lack of gift giving – with some trolls even labelling her ‘abusive’ for her parenting choice.
“People get really funny about the kids not opening any gifts on Christmas morning," she admitted, saying: "There is so much judgment, someone said ‘this is abuse’. I was like wow, okay.”
You’d think that this might make the Aussie mum reconsider the parenting tactic, but Cherlyn says its right for her family and saves her kids from becoming spoiled.
She also insists that celebrating in their 'own way' has helped to curb bad behaviour - such as tantrums and poor manners.
“Children can get so spoiled, so quickly,” she said: “They expect more and more, and have Santa wish lists that are so long and unattainable. And when they don’t get it, they are upset.
“It’s not okay and I really never wanted my kids to grow up thinking that their ‘stuff’ was the more important thing in their lives.”
Like many parents, the mum also saw how quickly her home became filled with random toys which the kids hardly played with.
“I also noticed they sometimes were not even interested in their toys,” the Sydney mum admitted, saying: “So we now just rotate their toys every few months, and they get excited again.
When her son turned five, she even decided to forgo gifts on his birthday and threw him a huge party as an alternative.
“We’re not against toys or gifts at all, but I think it’s important to have a rhyme and reason for them," she revealed, insisting that she doesn’t ‘hate’ Christmas – despite what others think.
In fact, she and her kids regularly do festive things such as watching Christmassy films, getting photos with Santa or generously donating food together.
For Cherlyn, this is what the true meaning behind the festive season is about.
“I understand for some people, that is their love language. Giving and opening gifts is important, and that’s totally fine,” she said.
“Everyone should be able to celebrate Christmas however they want to, without fearing what others will say."
She added: "Christmas is so much more than just gifts.”
