Birthday party planning can be overwhelming, expensive and leave you feeling depleted. In your kid’s eyes though, it’s so EXCITING and they just want MORE!!! For us parents, who are looking at the big picture, it’s a lot. Today’s video is about how we got our children to receive food donations instead of gifts, ultimately teaching them how to GIVE instead of GET.
Today’s Topic
Let’s backtrack a bit. Last fall, we decided to start reducing the number of gifts coming into the house, mainly because:
1) We don’t have enough space to fit everything and we don’t want to start moving things around to be able to store the items. It just doesn’t make sense.
2) It’s super overwhelming for the kids when they get so much stuff. Exciting? Yes. But it’s so short-lived as they usually forget about most of their gifts the next week.
Think about it: someone spent time and money to get your child something they thought would be special, and your kid tosses it aside to open the next “best” thing. It’s like a conveyor belt with groceries on top and no basket or clerk to fill any of the bags. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the kids’ fault, they’re getting a lot of cool stuff! But, it leaves an unsettling ick feeling in your throat.
3) Do they truly enjoy every single item to its full potential, especially when there are so many other things to choose from? Yeah, no.
In Today’s Video
This year, we decided to cut back. Now that the second birthday event has come around, we had to give our child some reminders about the whole project.
For those wanting to skip to the good parts, here you go:
- 0:24 – The True Meaning of Celebration
- 1:00 – Tip #1: Observation
- 1:40 – Tip #2: Needs vs Wants
- 2:14 – Tip #3: What Is It You Really Want?
- 3:13 – A Teaching Moment About Smart Purchasing
- 3:33 – Complaints from the Kids and How We Dealt With Them
- 4:21 – Remember You Are the Parent!
Review and Sign Up
Would you ever consider letting your child receive food donations instead of gifts? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Be sure to write it in the comments below, send me a quick email at dianne@diannejimenez.com or message my Facebook or Instagram page!
Do have any questions or just want to talk to me about your organizing journey? My direct messenger is always open; I would be happy to talk to you about it!
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