Make the Most of Giving The grace of giving has little to do with the size and cost of the gift. It has everything to do with love. Maybe you remember a grandparent who told you about receiving an orange plus a necessary item of clothing on one harsh Christmas during the Depression. Today we parents don’t always think of necessities as gifts but as items we must supply for our children. And yet, we often give these items with loving hearts for the sincere benefit of our children. Let’s celebrate such gifts. If we do not present gifts as expressions of love, children may learn to receive them as “what is to be expected” and not recognize the love behind the gifts.
If we do not present gifts as expressions of love,
children may learn to receive them as “what is to be expected.”Here’s a suggestion to help a common gift become an expression of love. Take time to wrap up the new school clothes and then present them when the family is gathered around the dinner table. Unwrapping a present provides an emotional thrill for a child, and you can demonstrate that every gift, whether a necessity or a luxury, is an expression of your love. Such celebration of all kinds of gifts will also teach your children how to respond to others who give them presents. As you give to them with grace, you want them to respond with grace, whether a gift is large or small.
One warning in buying your children toys as gifts. In the toy department, you need real wisdom. The sheer volume of items available means that you must be very selective. This volume is compounded by television ads that parade the latest toys before the eyes of children, thus creating desires that did not exist sixty seconds before and may be gone by the next day.
But in the meantime, many children are sure they must have the toy they just saw on the screen.
Do not let advertisers determine what you buy for your children. Examine toys closely, asking yourself questions such as, “What message does this toy communicate to my child? Is it a message with which I am comfortable? What might my child learn from playing with this toy? Will its overall effect tend to be positive or negative? How durable is the toy? What is its normal life span? Does it have limited appeal or will my childturn to it again and again? Is this a toy we can afford?” Never buy a nonessential toy if you can’t afford it.
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