A mother has been branded a genius by some and a mean mom by others after revealing how much she was willing to spend on her kids’ Christmas gifts.
Samantha Mary, 35, is a loving mom from Shoreham-by-Sea, England, who was slammed by online trolls after explaining that she spends ‘only’ $100 on her stepdaughter and son each for the children’s Christmas gifts.
While the mother graciously gifts some toys and clothes to their children, she insists on not going over the budget because she doesn’t want to spoil her kids.
After sharing her methods with other parents on TikTok, plenty of people agreed with the mom and said she was doing a good job as a parent.
Others, however, accused the mother of being cheap for buying “essentials” rather than “actual gifts.”
“We thought about how much we wanted to spend. I felt $100 was a realistic figure. Christmas is getting out of control. There is pressure to Christmas Eve boxes and Elf on the Shelf,” the mother said, sparking a debate about how much parents should spend on gifts for their children.
“It gets bigger and bigger. We want the children to be grateful for what they have. Less is more. We don’t want to over spoil the children.”
Samantha also hit back at other parents who accused her of not doing enough for her children despite the useful and practical things she gets for her kids.
“There were a lot of people against it. I have put essential items like shower gel in the stockings. Christmas is about so much more. It’s about what the children want as well,” she added.
“If you spend a lot of money that becomes an expectation. But it’s up to parents what they spent on their children.”
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