The Voice of Reason

I am a pretty moderate person, pragmatic and, as my husband calls me, the voice of reason. I just don't like drama, bling or nonsense. I am the woman that asked for hub caps for Christmas one year. The same woman that sent my husband to work and drove myself to the hospital when I went into labor (I knew it was gonna be awhile, my daughter came 72 hours later). When the garage door stopped working I figured it out and fixed it. It's curious because I am also sensitive and have earned another title from my significant other, that of emotional barometer. I feel the vibe in a room and avoid group think and crowds because they are so awfully uncomfortable to me. Because of this  tendency, I have to pace myself and select my encounters carefully.
It's actually a good combination most of the time. I can talk myself down from my initial emotional reaction and respond in a rational way. This is perhaps, why I struggle with the responses I see online to articles, Facebook posts and the typical hot-button topics like politics and religion. According to Chapter 2-Psychological Health in the text I have taught from for several years, a psychologically healthy person is described as being able to control emotions. I've gotten very good at this over the years but have noticed that technology and social media has become a hotbed for those who are not interested, able or willing to control themselves. There are a lot of people who say they are tired of the drama but play into it on a regular basis.
No place is this more obvious than as a parent. I can't tell you how many conversations I have had with my daughter about why we don't do the things that others do. I am not interested in giant, over-the-top birthday parties, My child has had a couple of parties but I try to keep the number of attendees about the same as her age. Goody bags are the essence of nonsense to me, it is not your birthday. The guests will receive free food and entertainment so why feel compelled to load them up with candy and plastic crap? I don't appreciate my daughter coming home with that.
Christmas has become a minefield of excess. Too many presents, too many treats, and too many fun things to do. It sounds ridiculous but there is just too much of everything. I try to feel grateful that there are so many opportunities, remember I am pretty good at talking myself down, but the truth is we have escalated everything in an unwinnable game of Keeping Up With the Joneses.  When I feel overwhelmed with the world, my instinct is to retreat.  I don't want to go to another party, open another present or send another card. We do the same thing every year and it's no wonder people are depressed and broke at the end of it all.
I am trying hard to teach my child the value of things and this craziness is not helping. We were at another child's birthday party when the birthday girl opened her parents present, an American Girl doll. A Dad said, "I know that box, we have a couple of those expensive dolls". I said, "we do too, I thought they were expensive because they are American made but they're made in China." The look on his face said I might as well have farted. We don't want to know how ridiculous we are because then we might have to do something about it. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of crazy. What is the result that we expect?
So, while the world seems to be spinning out of control, I am over here hopefully teaching my daughter to make good choices. Is it really worth the money, do you love it, need it, will you use it? If you are going to have candy, popcorn or soda at the movies the rest of the day should be nutritious and balanced. When you receive a gift, you acknowledge the giver with a thank you card ( btw-we have never received a thank you card from any of the children whose parties we attended and given a gift to). I am after all, the voice of reason but it isn't easy or fun because I am also incredibly sensitive. I'll just keep reminding myself that it's a good balance.