When you are considering a gift for
your kid, have you considered that although material gifts are good,
your emotional, physical presence, and involvement is even better.
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| best kid gifts |
Probably the best gift for children is
your involvement with them. I recall hearing someone say recently,
“Children know when you love them.” Loving your children can be
one of the greatest gifts that you give them.
Material Things
Material things are great. I believe
adults like material things just as much as children do. I recall
several adults saying that they wanted to give their children all of
the things that they never had. Well that is great, but sometimes
can be dangerous, because when children get everything they may not
appreciate it. I was watching the Dr. Phil Show today and I observed
a little boy that had been neglected. This little boy made the
statement more than once, “I wish someone would take me to the
park.” He even went as far as to ask the producer would he take
him to the park. Now the park may sound like a simple request, but
his parent seemingly did not consider it important enough to do
it.
I can remember when I was a child going to the carnival,
amusement park, and walking a lot. We did not have a car.
When I was age 4, I remember going to the theater to a live showing
of “Sindbad,” the actor. I will never forget that day. I did
not know how famous Sinbad was, but I did know he was really funny
and he made me laugh. For me these were some of the best things I
could do as a child. I counted it a thrill when I was able to ride
the bus. My father was a Porter, so I at an early age would ride on
the train with him. That was thrilling for me. Unfortunately there
are those parents that parent with their wallet according to
empowering parents.com. They further add when a child feels entitled,
the child may feel there is a reward for manipulating the parents.
Are you a parent that get's in debt to give your kid what he or she
wants?
Cooking
Cooking with your children is a great
way to share yourself. I recall living with my aunt for awhile. I
observed that she made nearly everything homemade including
cinnamon rolls, biscuits, etc. I wanted to surprise her and make
pancakes for breakfast. Also, keep in mind that I was quite young.
I could not remember how to make it like she did. So I needed to
look at the recipe. Unfortunately the recipe called for ¼ of
sugar. I thought it meant 4 cups of sugar. The pancakes were a
flop. I was so sad and disappointed. I did not want her to see the
mess I made. I attempted to try and serve it to our dog. Our dog
looked at me and turned her nose up, then went up under the table as
if to hide. So there were no pancakes that morning.
Say “No” Sometimes
Are you the parent that is asking your
children age 3 and 4 what it is that they want to do? Are you giving your child choices for everything? It makes
someone wonder who is really the parent. According to askdrsears.com
you want to be careful to balance the no's with the yes. I agree
because if you are telling your children no all the time, that is
what they will learn. Give them several yes's to balance out the
no's.
Although young children love to have
control over what they eat, there are some things you do not ask
such as, “Are you ready to go to bed?” What 3 or 4-year-old will
tell you that they are ready? Instead of asking politely let your
child know it is bed time and you are going. Yes you may want to
read a book first and give your child a glass of milk, but stand firm
on what you have said. Now if you have been allowing your kids to go
to sleep when they decide, it may take some practice on your part to
let your children know that you are serious. Children need their
sleep and allowing them to go to bed when they want just enables them
rather than helping them.
Your interaction with your children
especially before they are of school age will be most important for
them. When they start school they will need to realize everything
does not evolve around them. Their teacher may or may not allow
some things to occur.
I remember telling my daughter who was
9-years-old at the time, “No.” I even explained to her the
reasoning for my decision. She packed her clothes and told me she
was leaving. We laugh about this now since she is older. She
confided that she had no place to go, so she packed her suitcase and
went to the backyard and just stood there. We still do not remember
what led me to say "No."
You are the greatest gift for your
children, because they will learn from you not so much what you say,
but what you do.
Photo Caption: Morguefile, by Pippalou
Source:
18 Ways to Say No Positively
Do You Parent with Your Wallet? (Or
Know Someone Who Does?)
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6 comments:
Great post! The word balance kept coming to mind, maybe something God is trying to tell me to work on :)
Some times the best gift you can give your kids is your time and attention. Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board
I agree amber.
Thanks Jenny.
Thanks again for another great post shared at Good Morning Mondays. Spending time with our children will far outweigh any expensive gift. Blessings
Your welcome Terri. It is a pleasure.
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