The Mommy Side Of Me Has Come Out In My Decorating....
Decorating By MissLady85 Updated 27 Apr 2007 , 2:19am by aleamon98
I to try to stick to my prices my only weakness is kids... I sat down with a little girl and her grandma yesterday to look over some cakes (i dont have alot in my book yet since im still working on my portfolio) i explained some cakes to the grandma (who is buying the cake) and then it happened i had sketched a 3 D dinosaur and the little girl fell in love with it. Problem 1 it only feeds about 12-15 people, they are having about 30!! Problem 2 i want about 50 bucks for him since i have to carve him!!! So i suggest a half sheet with a pretty waterfall or volcano, some trees and a nest with a baby dinosaur. Well she wants to be able to play with the toys (so now i cant use fondant/gumpaste. At which point i tell the grandmother that i dont buy toys she needs to provide them the monday before the cake is due if she chooses this route) I suggested a cupcake cake in the shape of a T-Rex, that wasnt liked. So the grandmother (who i know quite well) is going to call me this week after she talks to her daughter about the cakes(she wants the half sheet) My problem is i saw the look in that little girls eyes when her grandma said she couldnt have the dinosaur cake because he was too expensive. I FEEL HORRIBLE. I wouldnt be able to handle that look with my daughter id pay for whatever she wanted! I know her grandma is pressed for money and raising 2 more kids so i considered doing a Dinosaur cake (assuming i dont get to many more orders for that week in may) free as a suprise for the little girl. What do all you mommys think???
What if you incorporate the dinosaur into the design...maybe in a smaller scale. I haven''t made alot of cakes so I don't know if this is feasible. I think y9our heart is in the right place though. Another suggestion...maybe if you could comprimise with grandma...you donate your time to the cake the little girl wants and grandma only has to help with the cost of supplies. What ever you decide, you are a wonderful person with a kind heart!
are they family?
are you a charity or a business?
Well my job (that pays my bills right now) is pretty much my family.
However i undersatand what your saying. Im not a charity, however i do like to donate for a good cause, the church & school bake sales *my kid isnt in school but i donate to my sisters school, pre packaged with my lables on them* and sometimes cake walks. I figure that its good advertisement. I wanna make people happy (yes im a people pleaser) so i think i am gonna try to scale the dino down and maybe ditch the plants and trees on one of the back corners and stick him on there!!!!
thank you to all the mommys out there
and no is a verrrrrrrry hard word for me to say (inless my child is acting like a fool)
ohhhhh, your such a sucker and a gluten for punishment, aren't you? Guess what? I am too, welcome to my 12 step take advantage of me club! Yep, the look in a childs face does me in EVERY time. I would do the 3d dino cake not only for a happy little one, but consider it building your portfolio.
I don't view it as being charity work at all, I love the fact there are warm hearted people still around =) I think its wonderful of you to have a warm heart about it. you are doing it for more then the little girls sake, you are doing it to feel good too. its not like shes milking you for a freebie.
we were at a restaurant and the man ringing us up gave my three year old son free chips, he wouldn't stop talking about the guy ever since cause he felt so special. he calls him his favorite man now 
haha
anyways, whichever way you decide to go, the little girl will love it I'm sure.
Go for it.
I sometimes serve part time to boost the bank account, and I just love going the extra little step to make someone happy. I have bought repeat customers small items that I know they usually order or have always wanted to try. It makes their days, and I love seeing that look of surprise on their faces. Plus in the end it will some how be paid back.
I say surprise the little girl with her dinosaur. It might be a slight loss in profit in the end, but I guarantee that you will get more business because of that green monster! hahaha This is exactly what happened to me. Made a cake for a friends party, she thought she was getting half a sheet, and surprise.....she got a carved cake! Well that "surprise" cake has gotten me more business than you can imagine. Makes up for the price difference!! I don't think theres anything wrong with being generous, especially if you know the grandma quite well! Thats just my opinion!!
and no is a verrrrrrrry hard word for me to say (inless my child is acting like a fool)
envision your customers as your children....
they're being fools sometimes when they as for the prices/services they do.
so answer them just like you do your children
NO!
It sounds to me like this is not something they (the grandma and granddaughter) were pressuring you into doing, but rather something you would like to do out of the kindness of your heart. I say it's wonderful and go for it! Good deeds always come back around.
and no is a verrrrrrrry hard word for me to say (inless my child is acting like a fool)
envision your customers as your children....
they're being fools sometimes when they as for the prices/services they do.
so answer them just like you do your children
NO!
She didnt ask for the price... i would be doing it as a suprise. She just told the little girl that she couldnt afford it. In no way did she ask me for a discount!!
EDIT: nor did they ask for a free cake. i want to do it because im a good person and i would like to see the smile on the little girls face!
I'd do it too, but as someone suggested, I wouldn't tell the grandmother just in case something falls through. I think it's a very sweet gesture. There's a very big difference between this situation and the people who think they are entitled to special services.
I think you came on here with your decision already in hand. I don't think you were asking a question for a real answer. If you want to give a cake cause you feel bad for a girl and it makes you feel good do it.
My personal opinion, she's getting a cake either way. Why does it have to be grand? She is already going to be having a birthday cake with presents and at least family. I'm going with Doug.
Sometimes my kids ask for 100 nikes. They don't look at the price. I say, "no they are too expensive." Kids don't know prices, they see the most grand things sometimes and say "I want that." (I do too)
This is why may be we shouldn't discuss the cake with the parents when the children are around.
I think you came on here with your decision already in hand. I don't think you were asking a question for a real answer. If you want to give a cake cause you feel bad for a girl and it makes you feel good do it.
My personal opinion, she's getting a cake either way. Why does it have to be grand? She is already going to be having a birthday cake with presents and at least family. I'm going with Doug.
Sometimes my kids ask for 100 nikes. They don't look at the price. I say, "no they are too expensive." Kids don't know prices, they see the most grand things sometimes and say "I want that." (I do too)
I'm in agreement here. She was there to help choose a cake, but sometimes you don't get EXACTLY what you want and have to compromise... I know she's little and you saw her face light up and you want to do it for them, but think what that does - really...
Doing TOOO much of the "but she wants it" for kids makes them spoiled... They get older and they ExPECT It and don't value it as a "gift"... then they go to college and expect a fancy room and a single and a private bathroom and everything..., then they get their first job and THEN reality hits - their salary gets them NOTHING and the job is stinky as a first job too...
We are Catering to kids WAY TOOOOOOOO MUCH. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE loves to make a child happy because their joy is pure joy, but she is getting a special cake already... don't do it...
This is coming from a woman who works with first and second year college students and you cannot BELIEVE how different teens are today than 20 years ago (when I was in college). They have NEVER known hard financial times, they don't know how to share and they don't know that sometimes they don't get EVERYTHING they want...
So... do her a favor too - make a very nice cake that was CUSTOM made for her and let it go at that.
Melissa
Since she didn't post that the little girl was being a brat or demanding the more expensive cake, I'm going to assume the best in that the little girl was understanding and well mannered. If a kid was a brat, I don't think anyone would even consider giving her a freebie.
Part of being a kid is the magic of the unexpected. Part of being an adult is the magic of the unexpected kindness - both in giving and receiving.
This is coming from a woman who works with first and second year college students and you cannot BELIEVE how different teens are today than 20 years ago (when I was in college). They have NEVER known hard financial times, they don't know how to share and they don't know that sometimes they don't get EVERYTHING they want...
I was totally in agreement with you until that last part. I just graduated lats year from an expensive college, and yes, there were people like you describe. However, I know that when my mom went to college she also encountered people like that Meanwhile there are plenty of people my age (myself included) and younger that have had to work since they were young, didn't get things because the family couldn't afford it, always had used, etc. I think it is very wrong to say that teens are different today-some are spoiled, some aren't.
That said (1) It is not necessarily good to show small children that they can have things deemed "too expensive" or they might expect them (2) if this is a kid who never gets the nice thing, that's a different story. I think it depends a lot on the family, but you might be interfeering with the raising of the kid by giving something "too expensive" if grandma said no.
[quote="thesasha"]
That said (1) It is not necessarily good to show small children that they can have things deemed "too expensive" or they might expect them (2) if this is a kid who never gets the nice thing, that's a different story. I think it depends a lot on the family, but you might be interfeering with the raising of the kid by giving something "too expensive" if grandma said no.[/quote]
What a wonderful point. If the guardian (Granparent/parent) has final say who are we, the cake artists, to interfere with the raising of a child that is not ourt own?
This is coming from a woman who works with first and second year college students and you cannot BELIEVE how different teens are today than 20 years ago (when I was in college). They have NEVER known hard financial times, they don't know how to share and they don't know that sometimes they don't get EVERYTHING they want...
I was totally in agreement with you until that last part. I just graduated lats year from an expensive college, and yes, there were people like you describe. However, I know that when my mom went to college she also encountered people like that Meanwhile there are plenty of people my age (myself included) and younger that have had to work since they were young, didn't get things because the family couldn't afford it, always had used, etc. I think it is very wrong to say that teens are different today-some are spoiled, some aren't.
That said (1) It is not necessarily good to show small children that they can have things deemed "too expensive" or they might expect them (2) if this is a kid who never gets the nice thing, that's a different story. I think it depends a lot on the family, but you might be interfeering with the raising of the kid by giving something "too expensive" if grandma said no.
That is true... it was a generalization, but MORE kids have had it easy today than before. However, I'm not saying ALL teens are "give me give me give me" there are a lot of great parents out there who understand how it's important to teach their kids that sometimes you can say yes, sometimes you need to say no. Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you want. That message is just being sent LESS today than ever before as we are a richer country than ever before.
but i LOVE your last point - you are undermining grandma by going ahead and getting it for her. My MIL does that ALLLLLLLLLL the time with the kids. We say no, and then she gets it for them "because they want it". Then she gets after us for the kids having too much stuff! UGH!!!
melissa
I think she can determine if she is stepping on toes or not. I would assume that grandma wanted her grandchild to have the cake she wanted, but due to price could not go with that choice.
I would not think it is wrong of her to gift the child with the surprise of the larger cake. I would imagine the grandmother would be grateful, especially the fact that she knows her well. IMO
I think she can determine if she is stepping on toes or not. I would assume that grandma wanted her grandchild to have the cake she wanted, but due to price could not go with that choice.
I would not think it is wrong of her to gift the child with the surprise of the larger cake. I would imagine the grandmother would be grateful, especially the fact that she knows her well. IMO
Exactly. These people know one another. As someone who has had to work hard for everything, simple acts of kindness can overwhelm me. I also have a special place in my heart for those who have shown me such kindness. This isn't a matter of building the child a $300 castle cake complete with princess replicas, it's making a dinosaur. It's not over the top, it's a pleasant extra.
then, why not ask? Call grandma and say, "You know.. I saw how XXX's face lit up with the dinosaur cake. what do you think about you paying for the cake you selected and I just make the dinosaur cake in addition as my gift - she was just so sweet about it."
Another thing you haven't thought about - what if grandma HATES the dinosaur cake? or think it's not appropriate for what they need? You said yourself that it doesn't serve enough... so you would be commiting yourself to make two cakes...
ASKING is the way to go - not just showing up with it... there could be so many things unknown.
melissa
If 50 is to expensive for the grandma to pay what are you charging for the half sheet with the water fall and all because I wouldnt charge less then 50 for the simpliest of half sheets I think if you want to do this and it wont hurt your budget then go for it I probably would to but be careful you dont want word to get out that you give away free cakes or enhanced cakes without charging the next cute little sad faced girl might want the same treatment are you going to deprive yourslef on every cake?
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