The Holiday Season
The Holiday Season is approaching and my kids have a full blown case of the “I wants” I know this is normal, but I think my son has taken it to an entirely new level! I had him write a letter to Santa, just so I could have a moment of peace and temporarily buy some time to think of how I wanted to reinforce that this is also the season of giving to others. Teaching kids to think of more than just themselves can be tricky, but is essential.
Lisa, you had a great idea for your daughter…
Nicole turned 8 in October – we literally planned her birthday party/sleepover on a napkin at Culver’s over chicken and ice cream. It was one of our best times together and the easiest birthday to plan. We kept it simple – painting pumpkins and making ice cream sundaes.
Then I popped the big question – what about gifts? I asked Nicole if she really needed any more toys or if she thought it would be fun to ask for donations. Letting her know she would pick the charities. She jumped on this and right away came up with three charities that were important to her – adding that she really doesn’t need any more toys. It was a hit!
I had several moms thank me for suggesting the donations vs. the gifts. It was also fun to hear the different reasons each friend picked a certain charity. The best part – delivering the donations and seeing Nicole stand proud when she was thanked – she really felt like she did something that mattered!
Another bonus – no goodie bags were handed out and I didn’t even have a single friend ask about it! I do believe she was accepting of the idea because I had planted several seeds at different times over the year about how lucky we are to have the things we do, as there are others much less fortunate!
Okay, Ladies! Give us your thoughts, comments, suggestions! Because, I’m telling you, I need all the suggestions I can get! What works for me one week, needs to be changed up the next. Let’s talk… This blog is for you!
February 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I think that at only 8 years old, it’s amazing that your daughter Nicole even thought about the idea of donating gifts to others instead of receiving them, let alone have a knowledge of 3 charities! She obviously has seen this demonstrated on some level, hopefully by you the parent. I do think that if we are suggesting that our children donate their Birthday gifts(in the form of a charity) that the parent should also be doing the same on their Birthday and/or giving to charities instead of going shopping etc…only fair. That said, I love your idea. Giving to others in need brings the biggest blessing of all. I too am trying to teach this to my 3 children. One thing we do is fill a shoe box with toys and essentials for poor children around the world. The charity is called Operation Christmas Child and the organization delivers the boxes around Christmas time. My kids have fun picking out the toys and organizing them in the box with my help. We also sponsor children from 3rd world countries which helps them eat, get medical care, go to school etc. As my kids get older, I’m hoping that they will be excited about writing letters to these children and maybe even giving from their own $ to help these children. Right now they are a bit too young.
Thank you for the topic. I look forward to hearing more stories about giving!