That is pretty much the goal of most parents.
But sometimes we lose sight of the big picture while we get caught up in ticking off all those sought after toys on our lists and creating that “dream come true” Christmas morning.
For instance, what if we ask ourselves the question:
“Where are the gifts that they received last Christmas? “
Now for some, they will still be playing with and loving their gifts from last year. But, more often than not- they don’t even remember what they got for Christmas last year.
For many kids, their dream come true Christmas’ have become crazy amounts of games, toys and stuffed animals that are in piles in their rooms.
Yes, that can mean messy clutter that causes mom and dad to constantly keep saying, “Clean up your room!”
But, even more importantly, it slowly creates a mindset for our kids that can feel frustrating and disorganized.
Of course they don’t see it that way at all! They THINK they don’t really care if their room is messy. Having more things than there is a place for causes clutter, not only in the room itself, but also for their mindset.
You know what it feels like when there’s that place in your house that you just don’t have time to clean up so you simply push it into the back of your mind? That thought plays on your brain and causes an underlying “buzz” everytime you get near it.
Kids feel this too. Although it may seem that they don’t have a care in the world, they subconsciously are feeling it.
- They are constantly waiting and dreading those torturous words: CLEAN YOUR ROOM!
- When they are surrounded by “stuff” it slowly but surely begins to cause frustration when they are looking for something and can’t find it.
- Possibly the biggest downfall is the developing mindset that they need things to make them happy.
A wonderful solution to OVER-giving that many parents are beginning to adopt is to give experiences instead of things.
This can become a day spent doing something that your child wants to do or to visit a place that they’ve always wanted to go.
Creating memories with your kids is something that they will have forever. You can even help them create a photo book afterwards of your day together that they can have to look back on whenever they’d like. You can get creative with your “gift” too. Some parents package up their gifts in beautiful boxes and include a letter to their child and include hints and clues as to what their experience will be.
You are only limited by your own imagination on how to wrap your very special gift!
Why not give this a try for the holidays and even birthdays? There’s much less clutter and many more meaningful memories.