Grandchildren Overindulged

Dear Ann Landers: I agree with you that children today are showered with too many things. My husband and I raised six children, who are now grown and have children of their own. The difference between what our kids had when they were growing up and what their children have is depressing.

I returned from baby-sitting my daughter’s family a few days ago and decided I should start a new organization. I will name it “GAG.” This stands for Grandparents Against Glop.

My grandchildren’s playroom looks like a New York toy store, jammed with playthings and books. Toys and gadgets spill out of their closets. The drawers in their rooms can’t be closed because the kids have more clothes than they can hold. So far as I know, the children aren’t centipedes, yet they each have at least 50 pairs of socks.

The parents keep complaining that money is tight, but they don’t seem to realize that they would have more money, less stress and confusion, more time and better balanced kids if they eliminated 50 percent of the glop.

I love to be with my grandchildren, but I find it very hard to deal with the excess. There are so many underprivileged children who don’t have the bare necessities, and seeing these children, so overindulged, makes me sad. Any comment? - Gagging in Green Bay

Dear Gagging Grandma: Since parents have the last word, you can do little about this overindulgence except vow not to add to it.

You might, however, suggest that the parents encourage the children to give several dozen toys to the underprivileged youngsters in town. They can call the Salvation Army, which collects toys for children, and drop some off.

Dear Ann Landers: I think you might want to do a little more research on the middle class. My wife and I are both professionals with college degrees and post-graduate degrees. We held well-paying, full-time jobs until two years ago. Since then, we have been able to find only part-time and minimum-wage work. Our rejection letters say we are “overqualified.”

Ann, we are in the middle of a serious recession, and the so-called middle-class professionals have been hit hard. Many of us are struggling to survive. The trend of employers is to hire several part-time workers to replace full-time workers. That means they don’t have to pay benefits, including medical insurance. This is devastating to people in our position.

I manage to stay fairly upbeat, but I’m constantly fighting depression. It’s getting awfully hard to keep my chin up. Any ideas? - Surviving in Sonora, Calif.

Dear Sonora: You and millions of others. Hang on to your part-time job (it could turn into fulltime), and keep an eye open for something better. Follow up each and every lead, and keep your fingers crossed. I’ll cross mine for you, too.

Dear Ann Landers: I enjoy the sayings you have printed in your column from the old Burma Shave signs. They bring back some wonderful memories of the trips we used to make in our old Tin Lizzie. Here’s one I recall after almost 60 years. Please print it. - Ruth in Fresno, Calif.

Dear Ruth: Same here. We used to see those signs between Sioux City and Omaha. Here’s yours:

Grandpa’s whiskers, old and gray,

Often get in Grandma’s way.

Once she chewed them in her sleep,

Thinking they were shredded wheat.