The holiday season is upon us, and many kids are looking forward to receiving gifts. The true meaning of the season is often lost with the expectation of receiving gifts. Many years ago, a mother told me a story about how she helped her kids understand the gift of giving.
While at the bank, she overheard the manager talking about a project his staff was involved in. They were collecting gifts for children in the community who, without their help, would not receive anything. So far, they were not doing too well. She asked what she could do to help. The manager suggested that she could help set an example for her kids, as well as other families in the community, by having her kids donate gifts.
At dinner she told her family about the project. With pure excitement her kids said that since they had outgrown their bikes, and that they were hoping for new ones, they could give their old bikes to these children. That weekend the kids spent hours cleaning their bikes over the weekend. By the time they were done, those bikes sparkled.
They delivered the bikes on Monday and the look of pure joy on her children’s faces made the mother’s heart swell. That day they gave her a gift, too—the knowledge that she was raising kids who cared.
The holidays are a good time to remind your kids that character and the holidays are more about giving than receiving. We hope that you have a meaningful and joyful holiday season!
Thanks for reading!
