We've been telling Lela, "Wow! We get to GIVE people presents at Christmas! Oh boy!" And also, "People will give you some presents because they love you! Isn't that nice of them?" I'll crawl into a hole if my child (and eventually children) are the ones who tear into their gifts with no appreciation and then walk on them as if they don't matter while looking around in expectation for more presents. I won't have my children grow up with the extra overinflated sense of entitlement that a lot of today's children have. Yes some is natural for childhood, but I'm talking the, "You have to buy it for me because I want it! I want more! I'm more important than anyone else! Nuts to anyone else's needs or desires! ME!"
We're going to start these practices this year...
1. When Lela hands us a present, before we open it we're going to enthusiastically say, "Thank you so much! How nice of you to GIVE that to me! It makes me feel so good!" (Hopefully it'll instill some wonderful feelings inside about giving to others)
2. After she opens each present, we'll thank the person who gave it to her. We'll help her with this for now since she's still so little... but it'll eventually be her job. I think this is much nicer than, again, tearing through the presents and offering a small blanket "thank you" to the whole room.
I think these will be really easy to do, and will even help slow down the day for everyone else.
Merry Christmas everyone! Have a good time this week GIVING to loved ones.
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