Question:

I know that there is probably no answer to this question, but I am going to ask it anyway. Is there anything I can do to change the focus for my child this holiday season from “giving” to “receiving?” I am at my wit’s end.

Answer:

I know it seems like there is no answer to this huge and important question, but I do have my favorite tried, tested, practical, and concrete technique. Here it is.

Make a gift list with your child for what he or she would like to give to different people. Believe it or not, just that on-going focus all holiday long will spark a genuine interest on the part of your child to either want to buy or make gifts for those he or she really loves.

NOTE: I have with this technique turned around the most ardent gift-getting children. Your gift? Enjoying what you gave your child, the ability to all of a sudden, in his or her own time, wake up and discover that it really is more fun, satisfying, and rewarding “to give than to receive.”

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