We’ve all heard the stories of parents threatening to cancel Christmas; in fact, I think I’m guilty of throwing this idea out there myself in odd moments of rage and there’s the recent tale of one Utah family actually going through with the threat. While in most instances that we hear of canceled Christmases, it’s for reasons of entitled children or kids acting especially naughty. But in the UK, a single mother has canceled Christmas for her 11-year-old son for a pretty good reason: so she can scrape together the £20,000 needed to pay his private school fees.
Kelly Bradford, a 41-year-old single mom, said she would rather spend her earnings on her son William’s education than on presents and a turkey dinner. Instead, her youngster will get a Miranda DVD (costing under $20) before eating whatever they can find in the fridge as a festive lunch. Now, while those among you may think this is rather drastic, I think this mom has her son’s best interests at heart and should be met with understanding rather than judgment.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, she admitted that she didn’t have the best start in life at the school she went to, so she’s determined that her son will have the best education she can buy:
“State schools don’t give kids a good start in life. I went to one up the road and it was the worst start I could have had. I vowed if I had children of my own I would give them a better start. [In my day] There were big classes, bad behavior, bullying and a lack of care for what happened to kids afterwards. I reckon things have only got worse. I left school at 16 and worked as a secretary — I had no qualifications so it has taken me almost 25 years to fight my way into a job I enjoy.”
Clearly this mom has struggled in life and doesn’t want her to son to do the same. In her mind, a private school education is the key to a bright future. What she fails to see is that her own story of leaving school without qualifications means that her determination and hard work has paid off; this is something she should be proud of and traits that no doubt she would want her son to emulate.
Surprisingly the idea of canceling Christmas (or at least the expense of Christmas traditions) wasn’t a difficult one for her:
“I see what state school kids are like on the buses around where I live — shouting and swearing. I don’t want my son anywhere near that. If it means seeing him disappointed on Christmas Day, that’s the way it has to be. People might call me a Scrooge but I’m not. I would love to have a table groaning with treats and piles of presents for William. But the fact is that my son’s education is more important to me than his happiness on one day of the year, so I’d rather cancel Christmas because I know he’ll thank me later.”
But will he thank her later? Or will he always remember the sad Christmases where he only received one small gift and the day wasn’t special at all? Who can tell. They key thing here is that Bradford clearly has her son’s best interests at heart and wants to provide for him in the best way she can.
Hasn’t Christmas become too big anyway? Haven’t we lost the true meaning of it: the Nativity story and the idea of celebrating the arrival of Christianity and doing good for others? Hasn’t it all been replaced with tacky trees, mountains of gifts, and insanely priced tickets for holiday shows and trips to see Santa? These days, it feels like Christmas begins mid-November and ends somewhere in January. I’m certain that as a child, Christmas was about caroling concerts at my church, tree decorating mid-December, a nativity play at school, a few gifts from Santa, a wonderful roast, and watching the Queen’s speech on TV. It all feels rather tame in comparison to the events, gift lists, and endless parties and festivities that roll on now-a-days.
So in my mind, this mom is doing the right thing. She still has a gift for her son, and he understands why she needs to work the hours she does and that a good education costs money. After all, what is one day compared to many days he will spend enjoying life at his school?
Image source: Thinkstock phtoos