Birthday Girl

Ellen is now 11. The time fly's by too quickly. This was a high tech birthday with choices - DVD, Computer, Netbook, Laptop, Surround Sound Headphones and the list goes on. I purposely gave her a birthday of decisions. Should she buy, save, or reuse. Similar to the decision matrix I gave to Jenna on her 19th birthday, Ellen got to feel like the "big girl" with equally challenging choices.

It will be interesting to she what she picks (I completely miss guessed what Jenna would do). What a great study of human behavior - the urge to get, the immediate feeling of consumption vs the delayed gratification of saving. Tough choices at any age.

In the end she really wanted the portable DVD and to defer the decision of what to do with the birthday money, Ellen came up with $170 to purchase the 9 inch portable DVD player. She was thrilled when we unpacked it. And it will be even more meaningful because she spent her own money for it - vs getting it as a birthday gift. Now she can reserve her birthday money for other choices - more consumption or savings (which I match from the tradition handed down from my parents).

So off to bed the 11 year old goes. Happy in all ways - a birthday of decisions.