Pillow Pets Dream Lites and teaching my kids 'want' vs 'need'

My kids picked up some major loot on Easter...being the only grandchildren on both sides they're always spoiled.  I seriously think they'd get a gift if they cut their toe nails straight...but isn't that what grandparents are for?

My almost-two year old son got one of those turtle Turtle Constellation Night Lights.  It projects stars and the moon onto the ceiling and walls in three different colors.  I have to admit it is pretty cool.  Of course, my daughter was instantly envious (especially since her gift of Cinderalla shoes had to be returned for a smaller size).  Almost immediately she starts talking about how she wants to get the Pillow Pets Unicorn Dream Lite like one of the little girls in her pre-school class.



I like to make sure my kids have what they need and a little extra, but I'm not one to spoil them.  She counted $14 in bills and $9 in quarters.  The unicorn was on sale on Amazon for $23 so she was in luck - she had enough.

At 4.5 I decided this was a good time to try to start getting my daughter to understand the difference between "wants" and "needs."   My husband and I explained to her we will always, to the best of our ability, get her what she needs, but for those little extras that she wants she will need to work for them or wait until an appropriate time - like a birthday.  She immediately went up and counted her piggy bank in hopes that she'd have enough to buy herself the

I was, however, all prepared to tell her, when I thought she'd come up short, that she could do a few things around the house to earn a few extra dollars.  I've recently been thinking about some age appropriate chores including making her bed everyday,  putting away the utensils from the clean dishwasher, and helping set the table.

Together we ordered the unicorn online and I explained that when it comes she will give me the money and I will give it to the credit card company to pay for the unicorn.

Immediately afterwards my sweet girl, still dreaming about her new Unicorn Pillow Pet, was eating lunch.  About halfway through she declares herself finished.  I gave the obligatory parent explainantion about what a big waste of food that was and how some chidlren don't have any food.  She looked stunned and said to me, "Well they should just go to the store and get it."  That went back to the light about how we have to work hard to earn money to buy things that we want and some people don't even have what they really need.

"They should just go to a restaurant then..." she concluded believing they give the food away for free at restaurants.  We'll keep working on that one...