Bringing Alive the Gift of Giving for Your Children
Certain times of the year make us look back and put our experiences during the past year in perspective.
This holiday season so many of us will be looking back over the past months hoping to make sense out of the things that have happened and gain the understanding and learn the lessons that will make the next twelve months better.
Divorced couples and their children often reflect on the past with hopes of gaining this insight and forging new traditions.
There is one way to bring the holiday spirit into your home and heal old wounds.
Giving is one healing practice that is at the foundation of our holiday celebrations.
One of the greatest lessons you can teach your children is to find joy in giving and happiness in sharing.
Families that have experienced divorce know all too well the feelings of loss but it is important to find ways to focus on the future and the many blessings it has to offer.
Taking advantage of the opportunities to give and share can change your focus from past loss and allow you to connect with others in an enriching way.
Encouraging your children to give enlarges their life experience and helps them look past themselves and their problems and reach out to someone else.
This year, when you are shopping, look for "Angel Trees" that decorate many malls.
These trees usually carry tags giving the age and gender of a child in need.
Nothing will make your children feel better that looking at these trees and carefully selecting the tag of a child they want to reach out to.
Let your child select their own "Angel" and choose a gift for that special child.
Many parents let their children feel more a part of the process by assigning household tasks so that they can earn "points" that they can translate into money to buy a gift.
It is important that your child earn the gift they give to truly embrace not only the joy of giving but the small sacrifice it requires.
All this may seem a bit contrived but instilling the practice and process of giving is a vital life lesson that will make your child a better person in the future and a happier person in the present.
Children who only know getting gifts can easily take for granted the sacrifice that comes with giving.
Making someone else happy is contagious can help them appreciate the benefits they enjoy.
Let them select the gift, wrap, and help deliver the gift.
Encourage them to think of the things that make them happy and praise their efforts to share that happiness.
The fact that they may not see their gift opened allows them to imagine the joy their gift will bring.
It is not surprising that many children will remember the gifts they give more than those they receive.
Family discussions and parent's enthusiasm will make the experience even stronger and more memorable.
This time of year is ripe with opportunities for reaching out and bringing your child into this part of holiday celebrations ensures a valuable learning and growing experience that teaches them the true meaning of the holidays.
This holiday season so many of us will be looking back over the past months hoping to make sense out of the things that have happened and gain the understanding and learn the lessons that will make the next twelve months better.
Divorced couples and their children often reflect on the past with hopes of gaining this insight and forging new traditions.
There is one way to bring the holiday spirit into your home and heal old wounds.
Giving is one healing practice that is at the foundation of our holiday celebrations.
One of the greatest lessons you can teach your children is to find joy in giving and happiness in sharing.
Families that have experienced divorce know all too well the feelings of loss but it is important to find ways to focus on the future and the many blessings it has to offer.
Taking advantage of the opportunities to give and share can change your focus from past loss and allow you to connect with others in an enriching way.
Encouraging your children to give enlarges their life experience and helps them look past themselves and their problems and reach out to someone else.
This year, when you are shopping, look for "Angel Trees" that decorate many malls.
These trees usually carry tags giving the age and gender of a child in need.
Nothing will make your children feel better that looking at these trees and carefully selecting the tag of a child they want to reach out to.
Let your child select their own "Angel" and choose a gift for that special child.
Many parents let their children feel more a part of the process by assigning household tasks so that they can earn "points" that they can translate into money to buy a gift.
It is important that your child earn the gift they give to truly embrace not only the joy of giving but the small sacrifice it requires.
All this may seem a bit contrived but instilling the practice and process of giving is a vital life lesson that will make your child a better person in the future and a happier person in the present.
Children who only know getting gifts can easily take for granted the sacrifice that comes with giving.
Making someone else happy is contagious can help them appreciate the benefits they enjoy.
Let them select the gift, wrap, and help deliver the gift.
Encourage them to think of the things that make them happy and praise their efforts to share that happiness.
The fact that they may not see their gift opened allows them to imagine the joy their gift will bring.
It is not surprising that many children will remember the gifts they give more than those they receive.
Family discussions and parent's enthusiasm will make the experience even stronger and more memorable.
This time of year is ripe with opportunities for reaching out and bringing your child into this part of holiday celebrations ensures a valuable learning and growing experience that teaches them the true meaning of the holidays.
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