Monday Musings with Rachelle
The Case of the Christmas Advertisement
An unsuspecting parent brings the mail inside the house and tosses it on the table. An advertisement opens slowly to reveal the Christmas toys on sale in various bright and screaming colors.
“Mom, I want this! Can I have this? Oh look at this, can I ask Santa to bring me this?”
Sound familiar? How about this part—previously mentioned ad is sent on a top secret mission to the garbage can. If you wish to succeed this holiday, all advertisements must be re-routed, if you should fail you will suffer the holiday mantra “I need it! I want it!” for the remainder of the year.
In a world full of “I wants” and immediate gratification, how can we teach our children how to give?
This was the question I asked when our first child reached the toddler stage where everything new had to be had, looked at for a minute, and then tossed aside for the next novel item. We decided it was up to us to begin early teaching the art of giving.
Every year, we had a chance to participate in a giving tree. The tree is decorated with small ornaments and each one has a tag attached with the age of a child and what they need for Christmas. We started a family tradition to choose tags off the tree matching the age and gender of our children. Then we involved our children in the process of selecting a gift, wrapping it, and sending it on its way to another child.
I have to admit although I love doing this, the process is a bit painful for young ones—but that’s the point. We want to teach our children that they do not NEED every toy they see and to help them become aware of other’s needs. I love my children and I think they are wonderful, kind little creatures—but they’re still kids and kids are naturally a little bit selfish. If you give them a chance though they will surprise you with how unselfish they can “learn” to be.
To help our children understand, I start with the basic things we should be grateful for. Asking simple questions in regular conversation (no harping allowed) will help open their eyes to different circumstances.
I hope you can help share the spirit of Christmas with your children. There are many different ways you can involve your kids in learning how to give. Here are a few more ideas:
After having a conversation about those less fortunate than us, you could help your child clean their room. Ask them to select at least 10 items—must be good, fun items (nothing broken, etc.) to donate to charity. These could include clothing, toys, books, etc. Help them to really think about not just getting rid of extra stuff, but GIVING some of their things to another.
Invite your child to go shopping with you. Select a bag full of groceries and drop it off at your local food bank. *Did you know you can do this at any time of year? I know many people who take advantage of the buy one get one free offers and then donate the free food to the food bank!
Make a baby blanket or quilt with your child and donate it. You can make a nice baby blanket and burp cloths with only 2 yards of fabric in less than an hour. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has great information on all kinds of humanitarian projects you can be a part of to help the world we live in.
Read the story of our Savior’s birth in Matthew chapter one and two and talk about the wise men who gave gifts to the baby Jesus. This is the real reason we give, because we love our Savior and we want to be like him. Ask them how they can give gifts to Jesus this Christmas.
Happy Holidays!
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