Giving gifts to your children can bring a lot of joy to both of you. Seeing their happy little faces after presenting them with something they like can create feelings that you just can’t beat! However, showering your children with too many gifts can spoil them if you’re not careful, and make the ‘special’ less special. It all depends on the reason you give gifts. 

Know When You Shouldn’t Give A Gift

If you didn’t have much when you were a child, you probably want to shower your children with gifts. It’s only natural that you don’t want them to miss out on anything. Many parents vow that they’ll give their children anything they want, whenever they want it. However, there are times when you shouldn’t give a gift to your child, as it can get them into bad habits and teach them things about life that aren’t necessarily true. It doesn’t make you a bad parent if you’re not spending every last penny you have on them. Buying gifts isn’t always the best thing you can do for them. If they are throwing a tantrum in the supermarket and you buy them something to ‘shut them up’, this can make them think they can throw a tantrum every time they want something.

In a way, they learn how to manipulate you so they get what they want. They might even get into the habit of buying themselves something every time they feel sad when they are older, rather than dealing with their feelings and issues. You might think it’s a little far fetched thinking so far ahead like this, but lots of adults act the way they do from things that happened to them as a child. Mainly from the lessons their parents showed them (not always told them!). You should never bribe your children with gifts, as they’ll believe that they are entitled to something every time you ask them to do something for you. They need to learn that helping people for nothing at all, just from the kindness of their hearts is important, as hard as that might be to convey sometimes.

Giving gifts for really good behaviour, effort/hard work, or a celebration is OK. Of course it’s up to you how you parent your children, but you may find they pick up bad habits along the way if you’re not careful. In fact, one of the greatest gifts you can give them is lessons that will benefit them when they are grown. Sometimes you might feel at your wits end or helpless because of the way your child is acting, but there are definitely better ways to sort out the situation than bribing them. If you are looking for ideas you could check out Supernanny for some tips, although this might not be for everyone. The most important thing I always think is to try to be consistent in your parenting, easier said than done sometimes if their are other influences not working in harmony with your approach. 

Help Children To Pursue Passions With Their Gifts

When choosing gifts for your children, don’t just buy them any old bit of plastic. These gifts don’t last long and will likely be thrown aside in no time. Help your children to pursue their passions with the gifts you give them. If they love looking at stars and learning about constellations, buy them a telescope. If they love gardening with you, buy them their very own gardening kit. If they love drawing, maybe get them some paints and a canvas. Something they can really use and develop, rather than lose interest in eventually. Not all children need to have the latest gadgets, and you definitely shouldn’t feel bad for not buying them, even if your child’s friends have them. Your children will always come out on top when you help them to pursue their passions early on, rather than leaving them to their own devices.

Give Practical Gifts

Practical gifts are great gifts too. How about looking at CustomLogoCases for their smartphone or tablet? You could also buy them nice clothes and accessories that they need. They will appreciate everything you buy for them this way, and not just the toys they can get some instant gratification out of.

Give Experiences As Gifts

Experiences as gifts are underrated. Why not take your children to theme parks, water parks, ice skating – other fun places? These are experiences that they’ll remember for a lifetime, and they’ll have so much fun. This can be loads better than a gift that doesn’t really mean anything to them. Life is all about experiences and learning from experiences, so the more you give your children, the better. It could even be a day trip somewhere new, looking at museums and galleries. There are so many experiences out there, that you’ll always find something to suit your family.

Spend Quality Time As A Gift

Not only are experiences a great gift, but quality time too. You don’t need to splash out a fortune on theme park tickets to give your children a great gift. You could simply plan a day out at the park or plan a picnic for next to nothing. What matters is you’re giving them your undivided attention. If you have multiple children, it might even be a good idea to spend quality time with one at a time, doing something that they enjoy or have chosen to do. Giving them your attention like this really will feel like an amazing gift! Simply taking your older child out to lunch somewhere of their choice for exceptional behaviour could be a lovely gift. Time is valuable, and children should learn that too.

What are your thoughts on gift giving?