A mother said she’d had it with her kids. They whined. They negotiated. They wanted more and more, despite the fact their toy shelves were already burgeoning with un-used toys.
She resented their self-centeredness, so she decided to try a different strategy.
She called her rascals together, looked them squarely in the eye, and said very clearly that for the days leading up to Christmas, they were going to focus on giving instead of receiving.
She instructed them to empty their piggy banks into envelopes. They piled into the car and drove to the mall where there were still a few names hanging sadly on the Angel Tree. Each child took a name and Mom matched their own money before setting out to purchase gifts.
They spent the next two hours shopping, and then hurried home to wrap their gifts before delivering them. Mom couldn’t help noticing the whine level had already been reduced in their shared excitement about gifts for those unknown children.
Then she presented them with three more tasks. First, each child was to pull one chore out of the “job jar” to help get the house ready for the holidays. The second task was to deliver cookies to the neighbors. Finally, the last task was to sit together, read the Christmas story and sing some carols. Mom was afraid her kids would think it all hokey, but by this time they were fully into the spirit of the occasion and they sang with gusto.
From that moment on, she reports that the dynamic in her house has changed. There’s less whining, less negotiating, and less demanding. Her kids seem downright happy, which is a blessed relief after the lousy feelings of the last week.
Kids have a great aptitude for nobility and generosity when they’re called upon to demonstrate them. And the feeling of generosity they enjoy satisfies them more than any toy ever could.
With a few days left before Santa visits, there’s still time to engage kids around giving. No matter what else we wrap and place beneath the tree, this sense of magnanimity we give our children may be the most lasting gift they receive.
