Delayed Gratification

When my daughter turned 8 she received a check from her grandparents. She wanted to spend the money on an American Girl Doll, Felicity. The check equaled the amount of the doll. Being that she was 8, my husband and I decided to use this as a teaching tool in delayed gratification and decision making. We took her to the calendar and told her that if in 6 months she still wanted the doll and if she didn't spend the money on anything else, she would indeed be able to get her doll. Her birthday was November 18th - the date to order the doll was May 18th. Every month the 18th was clearly marked in red with "__ months till Felicity." Every month we discussed the whole concept of being sure before spending your money, delayed gratification and so on. . . it was torturous for my daughter. On May 18th we ordered Felicity. On May 26th the doll came. What a glorious day for our family as we celebrated the arrival of Felicity. How happy my daughter was and how satisfied my husband and I felt that we taught a valuable lesson to our first born. We all stuck with the plan even though it was hard. Pride and gratification were everywhere. May 27th is our other daughter's birthday. To our delight a birthday package arrived for daughter number 2 who was turning 6. It was from a family that had been devastated by an accident. We cared for one of the children while the mother was in a coma for several months. We all excitedly gathered around daughter number 2 as she opened her gift. Imagine our surprise at seeing a Felicity doll . . . daughter number 1 still sulks about that. . . .